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My pre-match enthusiasm for a profitable Sunderland end result was shortly dampened when, after simply eight minutes, Mason Mount introduced the ball down with a deft contact and handed it into the web previous Robin Roefs at Previous Trafford on Saturday.
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It was, maybe, a reminder that the Premier League is an unforgiving mistress, and even at a low level, each single staff at this degree has the standard and functionality inside their ranks to devastate you with a second of high quality.
Might and will Sunderland have gotten one thing from this sport? I would argue sure – after we went 2-0 down and made tactical and personnel adjustments, I feel the Lads created greater than sufficient possibilities to present ourselves an honest probability of night the scores, nevertheless it simply wasn’t to be. There wasn’t a lot in it, however we did not take the possibilities that we did have, and sadly, it simply wasn’t our day. That is the opposite facet to the Premier League too – you completely must take your possibilities, in any other case you will be punished. Minutes into the sport, Bertrand Traore missed the ball because it ran throughout him from 10 yards out; Dan Ballard’s free header simply earlier than half-time hit the facet netting when it actually ought to have made the within of Senne Lammens’ aim bulge; and there have been photographs from Granit Xhaka, Eliezer Mayenda, and Chemsdine Talbi that, actually, we should have finished higher with.
That mentioned, it may have been a lot worse, and also you completely should credit score Regis Le Bris and his gamers for not letting the sport run away from them. As an alternative, we shored issues up, and we have been aggressive.
We have now performed seven video games at this degree, and in none of them have we not been within the sport. That in itself is one thing to take pleasure in, as a result of it reveals we are able to compete. Positive, we can’t win each single match, however to count on us to try this could be farcical. All we are able to realistically count on is that the gamers present the specified effort required, and if it isn’t ok on the day, then we simply maintain our fingers up and transfer on shortly.
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That mentioned, we weren’t helped by the officiating, and it feels to me that the poor decision-making from Stuart Attwell and his assistants has gone beneath the radar. The choice to reverse the penalty name nonetheless baffles me, as, no matter whether or not or not contact was made, it is a excessive boot and anyplace else on the pitch, that is a foul, so why not within the field? How, with the advantage of VAR, was the right determination not reached? Then, later within the sport, there was the decision to ebook Traore for diving when he was clearly fouled. That is the place I do not perceive the usage of VAR, as a result of if Traore had collected a second yellow and had been despatched off, it might have been unfair, as he should not have obtained the reserving within the first place. Should not the VAR officers be capable of contact the referee in that occasion and inform him he bought it mistaken? Bruno Fernandes and, to a barely lesser extent, Lammens can depend themselves fortunate that they bought away with that one.
It is a disgrace to be heading into the worldwide break on the again of a defeat, however we are able to maintain our heads up excessive, reap the benefits of the time that the break affords us, after which exit and provides account of ourselves towards on the Stadium of Mild.
Hopefully, we are able to stretch our good run of dwelling type towards a staff who’re struggling – one other win would sign we’re nonetheless on the right track and are taking a look at what may be constituted as season for Sunderland.
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