Sunderland returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory at Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night.
Phil Smith was there reporting for The Echo and here are his key conclusions.
Though Sunderland had been well short of their best, luck was clearly not on their side when a clear penalty was not awarded for handball with around ten minutes of the game to play against Hull City.
A week late, there is no doubt that the footballing gods had sided with the Black Cats. They had been fortunate that Sheffield Wednesday missed two big early chances, and had a penalty appeal waved away when Leo Hjelde appeared to handle a set piece inside his own bo
x. Sunderland’s opener should then been ruled out, Eliezer Mayenda inadvertently handling a long ball from Hjelde before scoring thanks to a fairly fortunate deflection. Already missing three of their first-choice central defenders, boss Danny Rohl saw his makeshift option limp out of the game. His goalscorer and best player on the night then followed at a crucial moment in the second half. Three other key players were also missing through a combination of injury and illness.
While pleased with large aspects of his team’s performance afterwards, Rohl sounded thoroughly fed up in his post-match press conference and you could understand why.
It would be hard to argue that Sunderland were the better team in the game though on a couple of fronts they were due credit. Their resilience late on was very good, Dan Neil was an emphatic winner in the midfield battle and their second goal was comfortably the best moment of quality either team was able to produce on the night.
There’s no point pretending that this was Sunderland’s most enjoyable performance of the season to watch, but it didn’t really have to be. Any assessment of the game should start by acknowledging just how difficult the pitch made it for both teams to construct passing moves, seemingly easy passes regularly bobbling beyond their target and out of play.
Le Bris had also taken a big gamble, rotating three of his key players so far this season both to protect them from fatigue and to give valuable minutes to those in the squad who needed them. With Romaine Mundle making his first start since November and Alan Browne getting his first senior minutes of any kind since that same game, the Black Cats were never going to be at their free-flowing best.
It probably won’t be a game that lives long in anyone’s memory but the end result was just about perfect. Sunderland put three points on the board, rested some player who really needed and expanded their pool of match-fit players for the weeks ahead. Credit to Le Bris, as the criticism had Sunderland not won (and for large parts of this game that looked very possible) would have been stinging.
ELIEZER MAYENDA IS EMERGING AS CRUCIAL TO SUNDERLAND’S PROMOTION PUSH
Eliezer Mayenda makes things happen.
Despite having largely to settle for a role as impact substitute, understandably so given Wilson Isidor’s excellent form, the 19-year-old now has eleven goal contributions this season. Friday night’s performance demonstrated he is ready to step in and lead the line on his own if needed, while the way he exploits the extra space created when he pairs up with Isidor is a genuinely game-changing option for Le Bris later in games.
Mayenda is very popular behind the scenes at the Academy of Light, a courteous young striker who is absolutely dedicated to his craft and very good at taking on coaching points. The spectacular improvement to his game this season is testament to that, as well as the ongoing trust that Le Bris shows in him.
The teenager would be well within his rights to knock on the door of his head coach this week and ask if he is not now worth a more regular inclusion in the starting XI. He might have to endure more frustration as Le Bris seems unlikely to overhaul his structure at this stage and probably right so, and there is little doubt that Isidor is a player who he can’t really leave out given his quality.
Mayenda, though, is emerging as an absolute gem of a young striker with a huge future at Sunderland.
LUKE O’NIEN – A REMARKABLE SERVANT TO SUNDERLAND
Sunderland managed the closing stages of the game well, Sheffield Wednesday clearly impacted by Callum Paterson’s injury but also struggling to break down an organised defence. Le Bris’s substitutes worked well, giving the visitors enough presence to defend.
The hosts created little, but there was one big moment of danger early in stoppage time when a low cross was cutback to the edge of the area. It looked as if it would be the moment the hosts equalised, but there was Luke O’Nien to produce an excellent, last-ditch block.
On his 300th appearance, O’Nien produced a display that typified why he has been such an important player for the club. There was the work rate, the commitment and the leadership, but also some genuine quality on the ball to switch the play and launch some attacks – underlining how his appetite to keep improving means even as Sunderland grow, he grows with them. It’s also often said that the best ability in football is availability. Like Trai Hume alongside him, O’Nien barely misses a game despite the rigours of the Championship. A fine servant but a fine player, too.
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