Sunderland’s win was scripted and there are no two sides to it. Bournemouth emptied their entire fuel in attacking but failed to find the goal that mattered. Sunderland did that, out of nowhere, and they could have even bagged one more in the dying minutes which would have made one of the most deceptive score lines this season. Unfortunately, David Moyes could not join the celebrations on the pitch as he is serving a touchline ban.
Bournemouth should not take the defeat too much to heart as there was nothing much they could do. They are one of the few teams in the Premier League to hit the bar consistently. They attacked and attacked but the ball just would not go into the net. Sunderland’s Pickford was undoubtedly incredible producing one of the saves of the tournament.
Here are the 3 talking points from the game-
Anichebe’s influence on the game
Victor Anichebe was next to unstoppable in the game. He used his physical strength the most and it exposed a major chunk in Bournemouth’s armor. Although they prevented him from shooting, they couldn’t stop him pushing forward throughout the game. Anichebe managed to get only 2 shots, out of which one he got at the back of the net. He was also the player in the Sunderland squad to give the most number of passes in the attacking third.
Anichebe recovered the ball 6 times despite playing on the wing. This indicates the tremendous amount of work rate he put in. Smith just could not body tackle Anichebe in the area, which Defoe converted. What a difference he has made in the game!
