PINTO BITTER FOR COLEMAN EVANS’ SALVOS DESTROY BORO
Ivo’s last-gasp leveller dents Cats escape bid
Sunderland
1
Norwich
1 IVO PINTO dealt a last-gasp hammer blow to Sunderland – just as the Wearsiders had sparked some hope in their survival battle.
Typical Sunderland. George Honeyman struck in the second half and with a minute left they looked to be four points from safety with four games to go.
Then they threw it away, Pinto scoring to give Norwich a deserved point and all but extinguish the Black Cats’ chance of staying up.
Local lad Honeyman prodded home after Aiden Mcgeady’s shot hit a post, with the Canaries having wasted half a dozen chances.
Sunderland are now six points adrift and have fellow strugglers Reading and Burton up next.
They could have been ahead in the 40th minute when Grant Hanley brought down Fletcher in the Norwich box after Adam Matthews robbed Wes Houlahan.
Mcgeady stepped up to take the spot-kick, but failed to convert.
Sunderland’s Liverpool loanee Ovie Ejaria then blew a brilliant chance. He went clean and had plenty of time but froze and was tackled.
Norwich tore Sunderland apart for half an hour. Nelson Oliveira could have had two, hitting a post with a header and scuffing across goal at the back post.
Sunderland are too easy to outrun and do not have the speed or muscle to live with most of their Championship rivals, but fought well after the break.
James Maddison dinked a wonderful pass to Josh Murphy who flicked over Lee Camp and onto the roof of the Sunderland net.
Oliveira squandered his fourth chance by curling wide on 56 minutes. Then he created an opening which Maddison missed from a tight angle.
CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE Sheff Utd
2 1
TWO stunning volleys from Lee Evans helped Sheffield United keep their play-off hopes alive and rocked Middlesbrough’s.
A peach of a 20-yard strike by the midfielder (above) gave the Blades a second-minute lead.
Things got worse for the visitors on 25 minutes when Grant Leadbitter was sent off for a second yellow card.
And, in a first half to forget for Tony Pulis’s men, Evans volleyed home again after excellent work from youngster David Brooks.
Daniel Ayala pulled a goal back for Boro on 48 minutes, slotting home Stewart Downing’s freekick, but United held on for a crucial victory.
Boro