Anichebe shines to provide hope for Moyes as floodlights fail
There have been far too many dark days for Sunderland, but they are being led out of blackness by a striker who has spent most of his career in the shadow of others as Victor Anichebe scored twice to secure a crucial win over Hull City.
On the day the floodlights failed at the Stadium of Light and supporters were ordered to leave the stadium immediately after the game because of a power failure, there are rays of hope piercing the Black Cats’ gloom.
After going ten games without a Premier League win, Sunderland have won two in a row, are off the bottom of the table and are now just three points adrift of safety. In both victories, Anichebe has played a pivotal role, his hold-up play and strength adding a new dimension to Sunderland’s attack.
His two goals against Hull mean the former Everton and West Bromwich Albion striker has scored three goals in his last two games. Having given Anichebe his Premier League debut at Everton, Moyes is now helping the 28year-old rebuild his career.
“Victor needs to be loved, but he is a handful and he has this ability to score goals,” said Moyes, during a post-match press conference conducted in the dark inside the Stadium of Light.
“If he keeps doing things correctly, keeps working in the gym and keeps his diet right, he’s going to be a very important player for us.”
Had Sunderland lost this bottom-ofthe-table tussle, their position would have been dire, but victory means they are now just two points behind Hull, who have lost seven of their last eight.
At first, the magnitude of the occasion appeared to freeze Sunderland. Hull, though, failed to capitalise and after Dieumerci Mbokani and Sam Clucas had been denied by Sunderland’s brilliant young goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, it was the Black Cats who took the lead before half-time when their master finisher, Jermain Defoe, added another masterpiece to his collection.
A long ball from Billy Jones was flicked on by Duncan Watmore, straight into the path of the former England international. With Curtis Davies and Ahmed Elmohamady between him and the goal, Defoe used a run from Jason Denayer as a decoy to get past them before drilling an unstoppable shot past David Marshall for his 150th Premier League goal.
Hull should have equalised when Robert Snodgrass picked out Ryan Mason inside the area, but the club’s record signing dragged a shot wide.
It was a pivotal moment as minutes later Anichebe struck, finishing off excellent link up play between Watmore and Patrick van Aanholt.
Sunderland had Papy Djilobodji sent off for a second caution, and still needed two world class saves from Pickford to prevent Hull from staging a fightback, before Anichebe made sure of the three points with another emphatic finish at the far post.