YOUNG CATS’
ROBSON AND EMBLETON GRAB THE CRUCIAL GOALS AS SUNDERLAND SEE OFF ATHLETIC BILBAO TO CLAIM THEIR
Asoroagainfoundhimself one-on-one, this time denied only by an outstanding covering tackle. Then Ethan Robson burst into the box from midfield, denied only by the outstretched boot of Exteberria, in the Bilbao goal, and then the post.
By this stage, Bilbao were essentially operating in a 3-3-3, trying to keep players high up the field to get back intothegame.TheBlackCats matched that by pushing wingers Rees Greenwood and Luke Molyneux right up alongside Asoro.
They were finding acres of space to attack, the Black Cats always having one man over on the overlap.
Bilbao did threaten once or twice, Nunez heading straight at Stryjek from insidetheboxandGuruzeta’s cross from the byline just evading his team-mates.
Nunez, playing at the heart of defence, looked as likely as any of the visitors, his looping header from a corner leaving Stryjek backpedalling, dropping onto the roof of the net.
Their best chance of the second half came just moments from time.
Hernandez, now operating from the right, overhit his cross, but it was moved back into the box where substitute Aitor Seguin was waiting in space.
Rather in line with the Basque visitors’ frenetic showing in the latter period, however, he blazed over the bar.
It was to their credit that they managed to assert some real pressure with only 10 men, but Sunderland never looked threatened and should have added gloss to an impressive win when Greenwood ran through with three on one.
He couldn’t convert ,but the Black Cats stood firm for an impressive win.