Sunderland 1-3 Hull CityAdam Johnson 1Gaston Ramirez 32
James Chester 51
Nikica Jelavic 90 +5:44
Steve Bruce can probably approach the new year with a measure of cautious optimism after Hull City won their first Premier League game in 11 attempts.
That this longed-for victory came at the expense of the club that sacked him a little over three years ago cannot have harmed the visiting manager’s mood. And especially not at the end of a week which saw Bruce’s assistant Steve Agnew defect to Middlesbrough and the defender Paul McShane air his grievances in public.
Things began deceptively well for a Sunderland team who negated last Sunday’s major stride forward at Newcastle by taking two steps sizeable back towards a potential relegation struggle.
After scoring Sunderland’s 90th minute winner in last Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby, Adam Johnson delighted in giving Gus Poyet’s side a first minute lead here. Only 30 seconds were on the clock when the winger intercepted Curtis Davies’s shockingly slapdash backpass before slipping an angled, close range, shot beyond an appalled Allan McGregor.
If confirmation were needed that travelling fans had bigger things to worry about than the club cheekily changing its official Facebook page to Hull Tigers it seemed to have arrived.
Across in the technical area, Bruce briefly covered his face with his hands. Memories of his painful exit here must have come flooding back as he was treated to a selection of “Geordie Bastard” jibes from his former public.
A net spend of around £40m during 2014 has recently been used a stick to beat him with at the KC Stadium but Bruce’s decision to take Gastón Ramírez on loan from Southampton may be finally paying dividends.
Ramírez restored a smile to his manager’s face after collecting David Meyler’s pass, dodging John O’Shea and curling a left foot shot beyond Costel Pantilimon from outside the area.
Pantilimon - who got down to block the shot but somehow failed to make proper contact, allowing the ball to bounce over him and on into the bottom corner - looked furious with himself and his ill temper soon spread to his team-mates as Sunderland saw a penalty appeal rejected when Alex Bruce appeared to block a Johnson shot with his arm.
With another potential handball penalty claim waved away after Sebastian Larsson’s header was cleared off the line and McGregor forced to save a close range shot from Santiago Vergini, Hull finished the first half very much on the backfoot.
Perhaps it lulled Poyet’s players into a false sense of security. They were certainly caught cold when Ramírez justified another chunk of his loan fee by delivering a deft near post corner which James Chester gratefully headed past Pantilimon.
As Sunderland’s frustration manifested itself in a series of niggly fouls - typified by Steven Fletcher’s yellow carded, centre circle, challenge on Stephen Quinn - Hull, rather startlingly, morphed into the slick passing machine of last season.
Aware his side were struggling to retain possession, Poyet replaced Jordi Gómez and Ricardo Álvarez with Emmanuele Giaccherini and Jozy Altidore. Back after a lengthy, injury induced, lay off Giaccherini showed off some lovely touches but it was not to be his or Sunderland’s day.
Instead Nikica Jelavic, a late visiting substitute, enjoyed the last word, dropping a shoulder before shooting emphatically beyond Pantilimon.
Source: Guardian
