Sunderland 2-2 West Ham
Home team scorers
Steven Fletcher 10
Jeremain Lens 22
Away team scorers
Carl Jenkinson 45 +0:39
Dimitri Payet 60
Sunderland’s inability to take their chances, not to mention deal with adversity, again cost them dear on an afternoon when Dick Advocaat did nothing to contradict the impression he was preparing to bid Wearside farewell.
Compounded by Jeremain Lens’s second-half dismissal, such collective home fragility allowed Slaven Bilic’s players to ultimately earn a comfortable point after falling two goals behind in the opening period.
Sharper, slicker, hungrier and consistently half a yard quicker than West Ham during the first 45 minutes, Sunderland appeared to have undergone a most extraordinary make over. Virtually unrecognisable from their thoroughly wretched recent selves, they did not take long to reduce Bilic to a study in quiet technical area fury. Goodness knows what the Croatian might have done had Fabio Borini not passed up invitations to put the game beyond the London club’s reach. Instead the Italian and his team-mates ended the day still seeking that elusive first Premier League win of the season.
Advocaat’s decision to leave Jermain Defoe on the bench and deploy Steven Fletcher as his lone striker in a new-look 4-2-3-1 formation swiftly paid dividends. When Carl Jenkinson conceded a silly free-kick for a needless shove on Borini, Yann M’Vila slid it low towards Fletcher who had made a late dash into the danger area. With West Ham confused by John O’Shea’s decoy run, the Scotland striker used his left foot to sweep the ball beyond Adrián.
Across in the dugout Advocaat remained impassive, standing in arms-folded mode as the stadium erupted in celebration. Finally, he unfurled his hands and gave a gentle clap. By the time Lens doubled Sunderland’s advantage though, the Dutchman looked close to tears.
This time an uncharacteristically slapdash pass from Dimitri Payet sold James Tomkins horribly short and Lens nipped in to assume possession. All that remained was for Lens to spot Adrián slightly off his line and unleash a delicate lob which went in off the underside of the bar.
By now choruses of “Dick, Dick Advocaat” were echoing around the ground. With Adrián saving well from O’Shea and Borini directing a couple of decent chances agonisingly wide his side could have been four up by half-time but, instead, West Ham hauled themselves back into things.
Spotting the home defence’s failure to cut out Victor Moses’s cross, Jenkinson steamed, unimpeded, into the area from where his left-footed 12-yard shot proved too good for a startled Costel Pantilimon.
If that goal threatened to undermine much of Sunderland’s good work, Lee Cattermole’s latest booking did not help either. Operating alongside M’Vila in a defensive midfield role, Cattermole had finally seemed back to the impressive player he can be but catching Payet late did not help his cause.
Jenkinson’s own hard-man credentials seemed confirmed when the visiting right-back appeared to dislocate his shoulder. With Bilic smiling wryly on the touchline, the West Ham physiotherapist instructed Jenkinson to look away as he forced it back into place before leaving him to resume his defensive duties as if nothing had happened.
Unfortunately for Advocaat, Lens’s involvement was about to end. An indisciplined kick at the rear of Winston Reid’s legs prompted the winger’s second yellow card of the afternoon – along with an early wallow in the Radox.
Reduced to 10 men Sunderland were up against it and, sure enough, Payet soon equalised. When Pantilimon could only parry Manuel Lanzini’s shot – an effort the goalkeeper should arguably have held – Payet was first to the rebound, his crisp dispatch redirecting it into the back of the net.
Nikica Jelavic, on for Moses, spurned an inviting opening to give Bilic’s team the lead as nerves increasingly corroded Sunderland’s game. How Advocaat’s players could have done with Mark Noble being shown a second yellow card for obstructing Borini.
At least they held on for a point. Once the final whistle blew Bilic stepped over to Advocaat and hugged Sunderland’s manager unusually long and hard. Then the Dutchman took what seemed a last, fleeting look around the stadium, issued a farewell wave and promptly turned on his heel, heading hastily down the tunnel.
Guardian
