The month of November certainly sprung a surprise or two for all Sunderland fans as they have been given renewed hope following back-to-back wins for the first time this campaign. Sam Allardyce chopped the formation around for the away match at Goodison Park at the start of the month with the surprise inclusion of Wes Brown in a formation which consisted of three centre-backs. This saw the Black Cats thumped 6-2. Following that, Big Sam reverted to the four-at-the back system but subsequently led to Sunderland failing to register a goal in their 1-0 defeat to Southampton.
However, the International Break seemed to work wonders for Allardyce as he again went back to the 5-3-2 formation which resulted in a resolute defensive performance away at Crystal Palace which saw Jermain Defoe steal the headlines with his winner in the final third of the match. Furthermore, Allardyce’s again prevailed in the final match of the month against Stoke as a patient display warranted the Black Cats a 2-0 win at the Stadium of Light which lifted them above the dreaded dotted line.
From the 5 goals which were scored throughout the month, I pick the top 3 contenders for goal of the month.
3rd Place – Duncan Watmore – Sunderland 2-0 Stoke
Duncan Watmore finished off 10-man Stoke in the 2-0 win as he latched on to a throw-in which deflected into his path, to run directly into the opposition penalty area and fire low and hard across the un-moved Butland. Watmore was stripped for action inside the first-half as he replaced an injured Jermain Defoe; and the willingness to directly run at the Stoke defence is a breath of fresh air for all the fans to see. The England u21 constantly chases down lost causes and a goal was nothing more than he deserved.
2nd Place – Jermain Defoe – Everton 6-2 Sunderland
The Englishman has previously shown he has a knack for finishing in recent years, and this goal emphasises the clinical ability in and around the area the 33-year-old boasts. Defoe controlled a long pass inside the Everton half and took the ball past two Everton defenders before slotting in – what only turned out to be a meaningless goal in the end. The strike was from 20 yards and took a slight deflection off the Everton defender but the ability to make space for the shot was something to be admired and proves how lucky Sunderland are to have such a deadly finisher as a Striking option.
1st Place – Patrick van Aanholt – Sunderland 2-0 Stoke
Not only was this goal a fantastic strike from the Dutchman, but in the grand scheme of things this was vital due to the upcoming games Sunderland face in the month of December. The game looked to be petering out as a draw until Adam Johnson fainted a direct free-kick to lay off PvA who crashed a left-footed strike from 25 yards low into the bottom right corner, beneath the reach of Jack Butland. A fantastic strike which has probably redeemed the left back’s quite awful start to the season as his strike led Sunderland to collecting the all important 3 points.
