1 day ago
4
Much has been made of the impact the Africa Cup of Nations could have on Sunderland’s fortunes over the next few weeks. Yet much like their impressive adaptation to life in the Premier League, Régis Le Bris’s side seem to take it all in their stride.
Without four of those who helped them record a famous derby victory over Newcastle last weekend, owing to the international tournament, Sunderland showed their fighting qualities with a gritty defensive display against a misfiring Brighton team who have lost their way in recent weeks.
While Fabian Hürzeler’s side have now failed to win any of their last four matches after knocking on the door of the top five a few weeks ago, incredibly, Sunderland find themselves in genuine contention for Champions League qualification with almost half the season gone. It was no wonder that many of the travelling supporters wearing Santa hats emblazoned with the face of Le Bris, who had made the 700-mile round trip to the south coast, could barely contain themselves at full time.
Brighton had their chances to seal victory late on but this was another extremely frustrating afternoon for Hürzeler and there was a smattering of boos at the final whistle. Already without suspended captain, Lewis Dunk, and the influential Cameroon midfielder Carlos Baleba after his departure to Morocco this week, his plans were further disrupted when Jan Paul van Hecke was ruled out through illness. It meant Brighton fielded a brand new central defensive partnership made up of summer signings Olivier Boscagli and Diego Coppola, while Danny Welbeck was also absent against the club where he spent a season on loan in 2008, owing to a back injury.
Le Bris brought in Lutsharel Geertruida, Chris Rigg, Trai Hume and the former Brighton winger Simon Adingra to fill the void caused by Afcon, with the Frenchman having promised that the disruption wouldnot affect his team’s momentum. A squad that was augmented by 14 signings in the summer should have the resources to cope. Geertruida – a Netherlands international who is on a season-long loan from RB Leipzig – certainly looked the part, replacing Noah Sadiki in central midfield alongside the evergreen captain, Granit Xhaka.
Having survived an early header from Mats Wieffer, which smacked against the bar after Robin Roefs produced an excellent reaction save, Sunderland’s defence, marshalled by the imposing Dan Ballard, looked extremely comfortable for most of a dour first half. Brighton often look irresistible up to the edge of the penalty area but lack the ability to stretch defences when Georginio Rutter leads the line given that he often prefers to drop deeper. Their opponents were content to wait for them to make a mistake and then launch swift counterattacks, with Coppola going into the book for a scything challenge on Enzo Le Fée when he was just outside the area.
When Brighton did finally find a way to penetrate Sunderland, with Yankuba Minteh’s pace taking him past Hume, there was no one to tap in his cross at the back post. At the other end, Ballard almost made Ferdi Kadioglu pay for a sloppy back-pass before Brian Brobbey forced Bart Verbruggen into a save just before half-time following more confusion in the Brighton defence.
The Netherlands goalkeeper was called into action again immediately after the break when he tipped Omar Alderete’s close-range header on to the bar. Encouraged by their positivity, Sunderland sensed an opportunity as the teenager Rigg dragged a shot wide.
Alderete did brilliantly to clear a dangerous cross from Maxim De Cuyper before Darren England waved away Brighton’s appeals for a penalty when Minteh’s cross struck Xhaka on the hand inside the area. Hürzeler threw on Kaoru Mitoma for his second appearance since returning from an ankle injury but it was the Sunderland substitute Romaine Mundle who forced Verbruggen into another save two minutes after replacing Rigg.
Yasin Ayari could not take a glorious opportunity to snatch the win for Brighton when Roefs parried away his powerful drive. Not even the late arrival of Sunderland’s playoff-winning hero Tommy Watson, who was afforded a standing ovation from the away end when he came off the bench for Brighton, could deny his former club a deserved point.
English (US)