Nine goals. A home win. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were anywhere but on Wearside this evening. But that was the case as Sunderland took on League Two side Exeter City in the 2nd round of the Capital One Cup.
The home side began by setting a unfortunately familiar slow tempo to the game, allowing Exeter to settle in nicely after flying up from the south earlier in the day. That said, Yann M’Vila became increasingly influential in the game. The French international saw a lot of the ball and distributed it well into promising paths created from the two recognised strikers in the starting lineup today, Danny Graham and Jermain Defoe.
As the home side furthered their foothold in the game after twelve minutes when Patrick Van Aanholt squared it to Danny Graham who’s shot was blocked well in the six-yard box, only for Jack Rodwell to follow up with a calm, collected finish.
It didn’t take long for Defoe to double the lead three minutes later when he neatly finished over the Bobby Olejnik. Credit must go to Rodwell for finding Defoe with a well-weighted ball over the Exeter defence.
For much of the game it looked as if a well-balanced midfield was controlling the game with confidence, an attribute pretty much extinct in the mind of a Sunderland fan
It seemed as though this confidence turned into complacency shortly as Emmanuel Oyeleke caught Sebastian Coates napping after controlling an over the top ball well to place his shot within Costel Pantilimon’s far post. Feelings of optimism within the crowd suddenly turned into a feeling of déjà vu. Despite players like Yann M’Vila impressing in the midfield by breaking up play well.
The defence once again let down the home side’s encouraging start. Adam Matthews failed to close down winger Matt Grimes, whose out swinging cross was subsequently met by Walker who rose between two unaware centre-backs to head home. Sunderland found themselves pegged back from a two-goal deficit with a near unchanged back four failing to cope with a League Two sides attack after just half an hour.
An ever-impressing Defoe lead the line well in an attempt to respond to this setback. He showed determination and class to pluck a ball out of the air down to his right foot to execute firmly into the far corner.
A confident and in form Jermain Defoe was one of few positives from the latter stages of the first half as the League Two side continued to peg back the Premier League side, this time through McCready on the 43rd minute thanks to more incompetence and focus from Matthews and Coates.
Half time saw further cause for concern with fans. Worry had set in with the thought of another round of premier league fixtures arriving this weekend five days after conceding three goals in 45 minutes against League Two opposition. Who knows what was to come when Sunderland travelled to Villa Park on Saturday. A hard working Danny Graham was unfortunate to be replaced by Steven Fletcher at half-time.
This lack of fortune ran throughout the side as Fletcher’s cameo only lasted five minutes when he left the field with what looked like suspected concussion after a heavy collision. This proved to be a blessing in disguise as it paved the way for the arrival of Duncan Watmore earlier than expected. A shake-up in system also saw Larsson move to right back as Lynden Gooch replaced Adam Matthews creating a stop-start beginning to the second half.
The two under 21 regulars injected much-needed enthusiasm and desire in the side, intricate runs from Watmore and continuous distribution from the midfield helped the home side towards a series of sustained pressure. A revitalized, eager Jack Rodwell reaped the rewards of his willingness to make things happen on the 64th minute when Larsson’s excellent delivery the corner flag was met strongly by the former Manchester City man.
Understandably, the home fans were tentative about their sides capability to hold a lead after throwing after one away twice already in the game. This time it proved not to be the case, the day on which the young man received a call-up to the England U21 squad was made even better when Watmore’s perseverance paid off after chasing a through ball which Olejnik failed to collect. Leaving Watmore to finish into an open net. More good work from Watmore allowed him to link up well with Defoe for the former Tottenham man to net his first hat trick since 2012.
It is clear the defensive problems are rife throughout the side. Emphasis on using the final days of the market to reinforce the offensive players in squad is a worry. The positional sense of both full backs were continuously questioned not only be fans this evening but even the captain John O’Shea at times. It seems a problem that doesn’t show any signs of a quick fix; maybe it isn’t a priority on the training pitch. But then surely a manager of Advocaat’s experience would identify and eradicate such a pressing concern as quick as possible.
It took the enthusiasm of two youth players to reinvigorate a Sunderland side who would’ve struggled to reach the third round before their introduction. A sign that without investment in the next few days, the season ahead will continue to drag on.
Sunderland (4-3-3)
01 Pantilimon, 03 van Aanholt, 16 O’Shea, 22 Coates, 12 Matthews (Gooch – 58′ ), 07 Larsson, 08 Rodwell, 21 M’Vila, 06 Cattermole, 18 Defoe, 19 Graham (Fletcher – 45′ ).
Substitutes
05 Brown, 23 Giaccherini, 26 Fletcher (Watmore – 54′ ), 32 Stryjek, 41 Watmore, 46 Gooch, 48 Robson.
Exeter City
01 Olejnik, 02 Butterfield, 39 Brown, 26 Tillson, 05 McAllister, 11 Davies, 19 Oyeleke, 04 Noble (Morrison – 67′ ), 23 McCready, 10 Holmes (Grant – 74′ ), 22 Wheeler (Hoskins – 75′ ).
Subsitutes
03 Woodman, 08 Oakley, 13 Morrison, 14 Nicholls, 16 Hoskins, 21 Hamon, 31 Grant.
Match Official Stuart Atwell
Man of the Match Jermain Defoe (Sunderland)
Match Rating 9.5/10
Attendance 14,360
