Leicester City U23 0-0 Sunderland U23
Sam Lightle reviews the action from Holmes Park in Sunderland under-23s’ latest Premier League 2 match.
THE WRAP
Sunderland under-23s battled all the way for a point at Leicester City this evening as Josh Maja made his return from injury.
Maja began the evening up front and completed a planned 45-minute run out as the Black Cats produced a robust display.
Leicester City came on strong in the second period, with Sam Hughes and Admiral Muskwe going closing late on with headers.
But Elliott Dickman’s Black Cats were valiant in their efforts and earned a point to lift them off the foot of the Premier League 2 table.
MAJ-OR BOOST
There were plenty of changes to Sunderland under-23s’ line-up, as Maja returned following a five-week layoff. Maja returned to action for the first time since July last month, featuring at Arsenal before later picking up an injury in the warm-up at Everton. But the young striker returned to action this evening, providing a major boost as Dickman was forced to make a host of changes. Josh Robson, Alex Storey, Chris Allan and Andrew Nelson came into the side, replacing Tom Beadling, Joel Asoro, Elliot Embleton and Ethan Robson.
ATTACK V DEFENCE
Sunderland travelled to the East Midlands in the hope they could lift off the foot of the Premier League 2 table. Standing in their way, though, were an inform Leicester side who knew victory would see them leapfrog Everton into second. And it was no surprise that the Foxes were cunning from the off, penning the Black Cats deep into their own half, with Admed Musa providing plenty of width on the right. George Thomas flashed a right-footed volley over the bar before Hamza Choudhury followed suit 10 minutes later with a sliced effort which rose harmlessly over.
FROM THE FRONT
Sunderland were resolute in their efforts, with Maja and Andrew Nelson defending from the front without creating too many chances. But Maja did have one on 33 minutes, the 18-year-old weaved his way into the box but lost his footing at the all-important moment as his right foot scrapped over the top of the ball, allowing Josh Knight the chance to mop up. And the Foxes looked to sink their teeth in immediately after when Musa swiftly gained ground down the left. Musa picked out the late run of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall but the midfielder fired over as he stretched for it.
UP AGAINST IT
Musa provided Sunderland with plenty of questions in the first 45 and that continued after the restarted as he continued to pull the Black Cats’ backline about. The striker stormed into the after saw working his way down the right channel but a timely challenge from Brandon Taylor denied the striker an opener. Sunderland tussled their way back into it, with Nelson using his physical and combative approach as leverage to bully Leicester’s backline.
DETERMINATION PAYS OFF
The game filtered into a scrappy affair. And that seemed to suit Sunderland as the match wore on. Having been relatively untroubled for 80 minutes, James Talbot came under severe pressure in the closing stages as Leicester piled on the pressure. Taylor and Storey, who had offered sound cover for much of the evening began to feel the heat as Hughes headed wide off a corner and then Muskwe powered his headed attempt over from a free-kick on the right side. But the Black Cats held firm and secured a hard-fought Premier League 2 point at Holmes Park. Ha’way the Lads.
Leicester City U23: Jakupovic, Pascanu, Wood (Johnson, 68), Choudhury, Knight, Hughes, Thomas, Dewsbury-Hall (Gordan, 69), Musa, Ndukwu (Eppiah, 70), Muskwe
Subs: Bramley, Sherif
Sunderland U23: Talbot, J Robson, Hume, Storey, Taylor, Bale, Allan, Nelson, Molyneux, Maja (Greenwood, 45), Diamond (Connelly, 76)
Subs: T Robson, Woud, Hackett
Attendance: 321