The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Cats play-off dream slips further away
SUNDERLAND SLUMP TO FIFTH SUCCESSIVE LOSS
SUNDERLAND’S fading play-off hopes suffered another blow at the Stadium of Light last night as Leicester City ground out a victory to end their losing run and get their own promotion push back on track.
It was a fourth Championship defeat on the bounce for the Black Cats, who are now 10 points off the play-off places.
Jamie Vardy’s early goal secured the three points for Enzo Maresca’s men but Sunderland went agonisingly close to rescuing a point, City goalkeeper Mads Hermansen tipping a spectacular long-range effort from Trai Hume onto the crossbar.
Leicester would have been kicking themselves had they allowed two priceless points to slip from their grasp after squandering early chances, but they had to resist a stern examination as the hosts finished strongly.
Maresca’s response to Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by QPR was to shuffle his pack with one of his four changes restoring Vardy to the starting line-up, while at the other end of the scale, Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg was handed a first league start at the age of 16.
The result means City will definitely still be top of the table going into the March international break.
The Foxes were first to show when Stephy Mavididi cut inside from the left and raced away from Dan Ballard only for Luke O’nien to get a vital touch on his cross, and it took an improbable double-save from Anthony Patterson to deny Vardy and then Yunus Akgun after Sunderland had been exposed down their right once again.
Patterson produced a fine reaction stop to keep out Wout Faes’ header from a 13th-minute Kiernan Dewsbury-hall free-kick, but Vardy pounced to nod the rebound home.
The Black Cats started to work their way back into the game and Hermansen was sent sprawling to his left to claim Jobe Bellingham’s header from a 31st-minute O’nien cross, but Patterson had to get down well to save Hamza Choudhury’s first-time strike as City pressed once again.
Sunderland returned after the break in determined mood with Dan Neil probing from midfield, but they were unable to pierce the blue wall which stood between them and Hermansen until Hume took aim from distance and saw the keeper tip his 64th-minute piledriver on to the crossbar.
That was a warning to City that the game wasn’t won at 1-0, but they looked laboured in attempting to keep Sunderland out of their half, and the hosts grew in confidence.
Hume forced Hermansen into further saves with an 80th-minute attempt from distance and a stoppage time free-kick as the home side piled on the pressure, but the visitors, who sent on Wilfred Ndidi as a late substitute on his return from injury, held firm.