Sunderland AFC 1-1 Queens Park Rangers
Oscar Chamberlain reviews all the action from the Stadium of Light as Sunderland were held to a 1-1 draw against Queens Park Rangers.
Idrissa Sylla opened the scoring in a game of missed chances and close calls, but Aiden McGeady simply can’t be stopped and his superb finish ensured a share of the spoils.
SUMMARY
Sunderland started strongly and ended on top, but it was the moments in between that cost them a first Stadium of Light win of 2017. An assured opening saw George Honeyman denied and McGeady waste a guilt-edged chance, with QPR rubbing salt into the wounds before the interval as Sylla headed home. Ian Holloway’s side spurned countless opportunities to add to their advantage as Sunderland struggled to regroup, but more McGeady magic dragged them level on the hour mark as winger squeezed a 20-yard effort into the corner. Lewis Grabban, Jonny Williams and Callum McManaman all ended the game on the pitch as the Black Cats’ bolstered attacking ranks led the charge, but it ended all square.
BITTERSWEET TEAM SELECTION
Simon Grayson’s team selection was bittersweet, with big names returning as fresh fitness blows took their toll. Lamine Kone was a late absentee due to illness with Ty Browning and Marc Wilson also missing out, but the Sunderland boss was handed a huge boost in the final third as Grabban returned to the bench and Duncan Watmore was named in the starting XI. And the fit-again winger was a menace throughout. With seconds on the clock, Watmore shifted through the gears and chased down a seemingly lost cause to win a corner, and Sunderland continued to apply pressure early on as Honeyman’s thumping half-volley forced Alex Smithies into an instinctive save.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
QPR were happy to drop deep and let Sunderland have the ball in the opening stages, but as the half progressed they stepped up and saw more of the ball. A vital interception from makeshift centre-bacl Billy Jones cleared a Jamie Mackie-bound cross, while Jason Steele had to be alert to push Sylla’s awkward effort to safety. Bryan Oviedo’s 30-yard strike then whistled past the post before a slack pass from Didier Ndong gave the R’s a sight at goal. However, the best chance of the opening period fell to Aiden McGeady on the half-hour mark, but after stunning build-up play from the lively Watmore, he was unable to apply the finish the move so richly deserved.
SALT IN THE WOUNDS
After a comfortable start at the back and threatening in the final third, Sunderland, of course, fell behind. It was an all-too familiar story at the Stadium of Light as the Black Cats were made to pay for wasting their chances, as another game they should have been leading, saw them trailing. Sylla’s header did the damage as the striker beat his man in the air, but the R’s shouldn’t have even had the chance with Ndong’s poor header giving away a needless corner. And before the break it should have been 2-0, as Sunderland switched off and Mackie flashed the ball across goal where last-ditch defending somehow denied Sylla from six yards.
MCGEADY RESPONDS
Grayson looked to his bench at the interval as Grabban emerged ahead of the restart, and the striker was immediately thrust into the action as Smithies saved at his near post. Moments earlier, Mackie failed to provide a simple finish to add the scoring, with QPR ramping up the pressure as Steele denied Luke Freeman and Massimo Luongo within a matter of minutes. Much like Sunderland, the R’s were soon made to rue their wasteful nature in front of goal. Just as frustration threatened to boil over on and off the pitch, McGeady shifted the ball onto his left foot and steered the ball into the corner to make it 1-1 with 30 minutes to play.
SEARCH FOR A WINNER
After a jittery start to the second period, the equaliser restored confidence within the Sunderland ranks and the introduction of Jonny Williams provided a further lift, as the Wales international provided a composed presence in the middle of the park. A swift turn from the on-loan Crystal Palace man fashioned the Black Cats’ next chance, with Grabban spraying the ball wid to McGeady who forced Smithies into a low save. Lee Cattermole was then denied as a point-blank block ensured parity remained, but despite both sides pushing until the final seconds, there was no way through and they settled for a point apiece.
Sunderland: Steele, Matthews, Oviedo, Jones, O’Shea, Cattermole, Ndong, Honeyman (Williams 58), McGeady, Watmore (McManaman 78), Vaughan (Grabban 45).
Subs not used: Ruiter, Love, Gibson, Gooch.
Queens Park Rangers: Smithies, Bidwell, Lynch, Freeman, Scowen, Mackie (Washington 67), Manning, Baptiste, Luongo, Wszolek (Osayi-Samuel 76), Syllla.
Subs not used: Lumley, Furlong, Smith, N’Gbakoto, Wheeler.
Attendance: 26,066