Sunderland 1 Newcastle U 1:DERBIES ARE often said to be all about backbone and Newcastle United's superior spine explains why they very nearly completed a Premier League double over Sunderland.
With the visitors’ strength stemming from a line running through the centre of their team featuring Fabricio Coloccini, Kevin Nolan and Shola Ameobi, Alan Pardew’s side enjoyed a distinct edge.
Trailing to Nolan’s second-half backheel, Steve Bruce and his team were contemplating a miserable post-mortem when a stoppage-time rebound fell kindly for Asamoah Gyan to register a face-saving equaliser.
“I’m frustrated, we’d played really well and it felt like a defeat in our dressingroom,” said Pardew, whose side weathered a scrappy opening period before controlling the second half.
One young Sunderland fan’s excitement at Gyan’s leveller spilt over into something more sinister when he escaped on to the pitch, barged into the back of Steve Harper and shoved Newcastle’s goalkeeper over. The incident curtailed Bruce’s gloriously uncoordinated goal celebration and only when he realised Harper was unhurt could Sunderland’s manager properly reflect on his side’s achievement in finally cracking the dominance created by that impressive visiting spinal chord.
It was most obviously apparent in a key subplot acted out between Ameobi and his former Newcastle team-mate Titus Bramble. The striker, an outstanding deputy for the injured Andy Carroll, subjected his old friend to a torrid afternoon.
The tone was set early on when Bramble was left trailing as Ameobi reacted first to a terrific Joey Barton through ball only to poke the most inviting of scoring chances wide of a post. Ameobi eventually made amends by rising above all-comers to flick a disputed Barton corner on at the far post. The ball struck Bramble before dropping kindly for Nolan to backheel Newcastle ahead.
Suddenly a Magpie appeared on the pitch, eventually taking refuge in a quiet spot just outside Harper’s area. So wobbly were Sunderland that it remained undisturbed for quite a while as Bruce’s players struggled to regain a semblance of composure. With Coloccini as commanding in Pardew’s defence as Aemobi was imperious up front, Harper remained strangely underemployed, making just one major save to deny Steed Malbranque.
Once again, the out-of-sorts Darren Bent had mislaid his shooting boots. A fabulous through ball from Phil Bardsley that the sometime England striker failed to control when clean through symbolised his tribulations. Ahmed El Mohamady might have beaten Newcastle’s goakeeper had his goalbound strike not been deflected by Richardson.
Frequently overwhelmed in Sunderland’s central midfield, Richardson’s bad luck in diverting the Egyptian’s shot was counterbalanced by his tremendous first-half clearance off the line from Coloccini.
On a day when Jordan Henderson failed to exert his customary influence on central midfield, Sunderland’s passing game was stuttering badly but in Bardsley they possess a full-back for whom no cause is ever lost.
Deep in added time he unleashed a shot that Harper failed to hold. The resultant parry dropped for the previously anonymous Gyan who reminded everyone why he cost €13 million.
