STADIUM OF PLIGHT
Sunderland slip into the drop zone as Adam earns point for Stoke
DICK ADVOCAAT may have avoided one troublesome issue by leaving Adam Johnson at home yesterday, but Sunderland’s other problems may not be so easily resolved.
Johnson was kept out of the squad and out of the spotlight after he was charged with sex offences involving a 15-year-old girl, despite suggestions from Advocaat that the England winger could be involved at the Britannia Stadium.
In his absence, a point in the Potteries did not seem such a bad result. But with Leicester and Hull winning away at Burnley and Crystal Palace, Sunderland find themselves in the bottom three and facing another fight for their Premier League lives.
Advocaat has five more games to save his new club from the drop and will not need reminding that the last two of them are away at Arsenal and Chelsea.
‘Everything is open from the bottom five or six clubs,’ said the Dutchman. ‘I’m surprised about Hull winning away. It’s strange the way Crystal Palace played against us to win 4-1, and the last two home games they’ve lost against teams at the bottom. I’m not so happy with that.
‘But we have to do it by ourselves. This was a good point and we have to take it with us to the next game at home to Southampton.’
Asked about the reasons for Johnson’s omission, he added: ‘He didn’t train for three days so I thought it was better for him to stay away. Let’s wait and see what will happen.’
It all started so well for Sunderland when Connor Wickham, whose goals contributed so much to their great escape under Gus Poyet last season, scored for the second game in a row after just 58 seconds.
Asmir Begovic was at fault for allowing Will Buckley’s cross to slip from his grasp. The Stoke goalkeeper tried desperately to retrieve it under pressure from Wickham, but the Sunderland forward got the vital touch to prod it over the line.
Stoke were well worth an equaliser by the time Charlie Adam brought them level in the 27th minute with his fifth goal of the season and his third this month.
The move started when Marko Arnautovic clipped the ball to Jonathan Walters and surged into the box looking for a return pass. He got it but had to touch the ball back to Adam under pressure and the Scotland midfielder did not hesitate, lashing a shot with his weaker right foot into the top corner.
Adam was outstanding, pulling all the strings for Stoke and even going close to a winner in the dying stages when his 25yard effort was brilliantly turned away by Costel Pantilimon.
‘It was a terrible start,’ said Mark Hughes. ‘We talk about first goal and lo and behold we go and concede inside a minute. But it was a great response from us. I thought it was the best we’ve played for quite some time.’