Van gives Moyes a lift after Defoe misfires
SUNDERLAND 1 Van Aanholt 83 WEST BROM 1 Chadli 35
IT would have been a long fortnight for David Moyes had he been left to ponder equalling the Premier League’s worst-ever start.
One point from seven matches was enough to see Paolo Di Canio sacked as Sunderland boss three years ago. And, while Patrick van Aanholt’s 83rd-minute equaliser merely served to mask another uninspiring display, it at least arrested a run of three straight defeats and took the Black Cats off bottom.
Moyes can only hope one point proves a turning point.
The saviour here has not exactly been the manager’s favourite in recent weeks.
Van Aanholt was dropped for this game on the back of last Saturday’s ‘negligent’ defensive display during the 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace.
That came just days after pictures emerged of the Dutchman puffing on a shisha pipe four weeks before the heart scare which saw him withdrawn from the team at Spurs last month.
But Moyes cannot afford to cast aside a left back who is the club’s second top goalscorer in 2016 behind Jermain Defoe.
‘We needed to find a goal from somewhere but we didn’t have any attacking players to make changes.
‘The only thing was to change the system and we’d been training this week with Patrick further forward,’ explained Moyes, who turned to Van Aanholt early in the second half as Sunderland trailed to Nacer Chadli’s opener.
‘Patrick gets goals for a left back and we needed that — but what we need now is everyone else to start getting goals. But I have to praise the players, they kept going and we might have won it after the equaliser.’
Had Sunderland nicked three points it would have been harsh on the visitors.
And West Brom boss Tony Pulis moaned: ‘When you dominate a game that much you expect to win.’
It might have been a different story had the usually-clinical Defoe not prodded wide when played in by Duncan Watmore on four minutes. Chadli did not make the same mistake on 35 minutes after being sprang clear by Matt Phillips. There was still work to be done with Lamine Kone in pursuit but he held off the challenge of the recovering defender and slid a low shot into the bottom corner..
Defoe had an opportunity to make amends for his early miss but his effort was blocked by a sliding Jonny Evans.
Van Aanholt took his chance as he bundled in from Watmore’s centre.
It was ugly, but for Moyes it would have been a beautiful sight.