‘I’d forgotten how to smile’
As Sunderland’s 10 men get their first win under Moyes, their manager reveals...
OUT of the deepest darkness comes some form of light at last for Sunderland.
David Moyes has spent most of his post-match evenings this season sat alone at home with the lights dimmed and little to take solace from in his team’s performances. It is a depressing scene.
This, though, was a first victory for a side finally showing the kind of fight they have long lacked. Their manager was banned from the touchline, they were down to 10 men and under the cosh but Sunderland pulled through. They finally have a Premier League win.
‘I’d nearly forgotten what it felt like to smile,’ said Moyes.
Sunderland were second-best to Bournemouth for long periods but, after going behind through Dan Gosling and seeing Steven Pienaar sent off, they emerged victorious. Victor Anichebe was the hero, scoring the equaliser and earning Jermain Defoe’s winning penalty, despite playing with a cracked rib suffered on his first Sunderland start here.
‘We did this for the manager. Over the last few weeks we have not done him justice,’ said Anichebe. ‘For all the work the manager has done, this one was for him.’
While Anichebe got a first taste of victory on his first Sunderland start, the wait goes on for Jack Rodwell. The midfielder has started 33 games for the club since joining two years ago. A hamstring injury ruled him out of this one. Tough luck.
Bournemouth were dominant and took a deserved lead after 10 minutes. The visitors should have woken up with that but did not. Bournemouth built another attack down the left and, as they switched sides through Jack Wilshere, Sunderland switched off.
Junior Stanislas picked up the ball in the centre of midfield, swivelled and sprung a pass to put Adam Smith in behind on the right. Smith’s cross found Gosling’s chest a yard out and he gave his side the lead.
Moyes slumped in his seat in the stands, with his new vantage point providing an improved view of events he would probably rather avoid watching.
Bournemouth pushed on. Wilshere in particular was a pest. Passing move after passing move went through his feet and Papy Djilobodji looked baffled. Joshua King should have made it 2-0 when Stanislas sent him zipping past the former Chelsea centre-back but instead sent his shot straight at Jordan Pickford.
The Sunderland support sung on regardless and, in the 34th minute, their backing was rewarded out of nothing. Defoe rolled the ball into Anichebe’s feet inside the area with his back to goal. The natural reaction would have been to look backwards for a way out. The striker had other ideas. He took the pass, shrugged Simon Francis to the ground with incredible upper body strength and turned, before battering his shot past Artur Boruc and into the top corner.
From there, Sunderland grew into the game until Pienaar’s moment of madness just before the hour. The midfielder had been booked for bringing down Wilshere late in the first half and an awful, above-the-ankle challenge on Stanislas earned him a second yellow card.
With that flashpoint, the pendulum swung back Bournemouth’s way. Defoe was temporarily withdrawn to a right wing-back role to stem the tide and Sunderland looked all at sea. The confusion should have cost them when Gosling put Stanislas through but his left-foot finish came back off the foot of the right-hand post and back out.
Bournemouth were peppering Pickford’s goal. Harry Arter headed wide, Wilshere was denied by Djilobodji and Stanislas air-kicked with the goal at his mercy.
Suddenly, however, back came Sunderland. They made a rare advance forward, still playing with two strikers and Duncan Watmore put in Anichebe before Smith’s poorly timed tackle swept him to the deck. Mike Dean had no doubts in awarding the penalty and Defoe sent Boruc the wrong way.
Bournemouth failed to add to their opener despite having 22 shots and 70 per cent of possession. ‘It’s unlike us,’ said manager Eddie Howe. ‘We had a spell of 15 minutes where we battered their goal and they couldn’t get out of their half. We needed the killer touch to go on and win but we left the back door open.’
Moyes added: ‘We were a wee bit in disarray. But we were brave enough to keep players up the pitch. Sometimes this is the way it is.’