Sunderland U23 2-1 Exeter City U23
safc.com’s Sam Lightle reviews the action from Sunderland under-23s’ Premier League Cup match at Eppleton CW.
THE WRAP
Sunderland under-23s collected their first three points in the 2017-18 Premier League Cup with victory over Exeter City this afternoon at Eppleton CW.
A goal in either half from the ever-impressive Elliot Embleton and Luke Molyneux got the Black Cats on their way to victory in Group H.
Liam McAllinden pulled one back for Exeter to set-up a grandstand finish but Sunderland managed to withstand the late onslaught and secured three points which could've gone either way in the end.
SCENE SETTER
The arrival of Exeter City on Wearside provided Sunderland under-23s with the chance for redemption. Not only from Sunday’s slender league defeat to Manchester United, but to their opening defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League Cup. It was a night to forget for Elliott Dickman’s side but one that had plenty of wrongs needed putting right. And Exeter provided the Lads with their first chance to do that. Rooted to the foot of group H, Dickman made three changes to his side that played United last weekend, Jack Diamond started on the left while Alex Storey and trialist Harry Goode came into the defence.
POINT TO PROVE
The first 15 minutes saw little action. Exeter offered a physical and robust test, thrusting themselves into red and white bodies, with Matt Jay and McAillinden refusing to give Sunderland’s backline a moments peace. They were rigid, disciplined and frustrated the hosts, who were comfortable 35 yards from goal but as soon as it was fed into Joel Asoro he was seized upon and ushered away from goal. And that saw the visitors rightly grow in confidence as Jay spun clear of his man on the halfway line and flew away from Adam Bale. Alex Storey stood his ground on the edge of the box but was penalised for miss timing his challenge, leaving Exeter with a shot at goal from 20 yards. Alex Byrne set himself but was unable to profit as he smacked the free-kick into the four-man wall.
DOWN THE SIDES
Exeter were big and powerful with their approach as Sunderland failed to nail a ball down the channels, with Harry Goode and Denver Hume’s passes being cut out. But when Ethan Robson wrapped his left wand around the ball down the left, Asoro pounced and drilled a strike into James Hamon’s gloves. Moments later, a lung-bursting run down the right from Kyle Edwards saw him feed McAllinden and his effort whistled venomously over Michael Woud’s goal. McAllinden took centre stage up top for Exeter, his quick feet leaving Tom Beadling and Alex Storey stranded as he lifted an effort agonizingly over Woud’s bar. But with 36 minutes played, Sunderland dealt the visitors a blow with lady luck playing its part. Embleton shifted the ball into a shooting position 20 yards from goal and was aided by a number of deflections as the ball nestled into Hamon’s near post.
SLENDER ADVANTAGE
Sunderland hadn’t created too much in the opening 45 but the goal seemed to settle them down for a while as Adam Bale sprayed a ball out to Goode, who rolled it inside to Molyneux. A quick faint then saw the winger manoeuvred the ball into Embleton’s path and he fed the advancing Ethan Robson who stretched but failed to get a meaningful connection on the ball from six yards. But Sunderland’s lead was put in doubt before the break as Jay squandered two guilt-edge chances, one with his foot shaved the post and then the other glanced wide off his chest from point-blank range.
OFF TO A FLIER
An improved Sunderland XI returned after the 15-minute interval, with Asoro and Robson unleashing rasping drives in quick succession. The Swede’s effort was parried by Hamon at his near post, Diamond calmly collected and teed-up Robson who lashed a thunderous effort into a crowd of desperate Exeter bodies. Molyneux’s wing-wizardry then came to the fore, a well-executed flick saw him come inside and breeze past his man. Asoro was on the same wavelength as him and darted in behind, however, the referee was quick to halt proceedings for offside. Replays suggest otherwise.
GOAL AT EITHER END
Sunderland didn’t have to wait long to double their advantage, though. In their next attack, Molyneux went alone. The winger sweetly struck an effort into the bottom corner from 18 yards, to put his side in a commanding position with 58 minutes played. However, the game was far but over as Exeter’s Edwards came inside off the left flank and warmed the gloves of Woud with a stinging drive before Jordan Storey’s touch off a corner gratefully landed in Woud's hands. Woud was flying between the sticks, equal to everything the visitors threw at him until McAllinden’s close-range finish halved the deficit. The forward peeled away from Denver Hume at the back stick and hammered the ball home as it flashed across from the left wing to set up a grandstand finish with five minutes left. And the visitors could've stolen an equaliser in the dying embers but Archie Collins glanced a header wide before McAllinden curled an effort a fraction too high.
Sunderland: Woud, Goode, Hume, Bale (Gamble, 70), Storey, Beadling, Diamond, Robson, Asoro (Greenwood, 70), Embleton, Molynuex.
Subs: Taylor, Patterson, Wright
Exeter City: Hamon, Wilson, Hartridge, Down, Storey, Byrne (Egan, 73), Collins, Sparkes, Edwards, Jay, McAllinden
Subs: Williams, Seymour, Key, Randall