Sunderland earned a vital point in their battle against relegation by sharing a 1-1 draw with Stoke City this afternoon.
The Black Cats scored in the opening minute as Asmir Begovic spilled Will Buckley's low cross and Connor Wickham followed up to slot the ball home.
However, Stoke equalised when Charlie Adam fired a strike into the top corner to ensure that the game finished all square.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at the Britannia Stadium.
Match Statistics:
STOKE:
Shots 23
On Target 8
Possession 61%
Corners 9
Fouls 14
SUNDERLAND:
Shots 15
On Target 5
Possession 39%
Corners 8
Fouls 15
Was the result fair?
A draw was probably a fair result, despite the dominance of the home side. Stoke may have conceded inside the opening minute, but for the rest of the first half they were very much on top and wasted some very good opportunities. However, Sunderland came out strongly at the start of the second half and had some decent chances to score of their own. They may have been hanging on a bit at the end, but an improved defensive performance ensured them of a vital point in their battle to avoid the drop.
Stoke's performance
It was a very uncharacteristic start to the match by Stoke, who fell behind in the first minute thanks to a goalkeeping blunder from Begovic. They responded well and quickly put the Sunderland defence under a huge amount of pressure. When Adam fired in their equaliser it looked as though they would go on to win the game, but they lacked a clinical finishing touch in the last third to kill of their opponents and were forced to settle for a draw.
Sunderland's performance
Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat will have been delighted at the performance of his players after their humiliating defeat against Crystal Palace in their last match. They were far more solid at the back and they showed plenty of attacking threat. If they had of taken their chances then they may have claimed all three points and they may look back on a big miss from Jermain Defoe, who fired into the side-netting just a minute before Adam equalised for the hosts. It was a spirited display and although they have dropped into the relegation zone, it is something that they can build upon heading into their final games of the season.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Charlie Adam: The Scot was instrumental in everything good that Stoke produced today and he continued his fine goalscoring form with a brilliant strike into the top corner. He also saw a late effort tipped behind by Costel Pantilimon and always looked good on the ball.
Biggest gaffe
Begovic is usually so solid and reliable for Stoke, but he made a howler in the opening 60 seconds to gift Sunderland the lead. He enabled a cross from Buckley to spill out of his grasp and he could do nothing to prevent Wickham from slotting the loose ball into the net.
Referee's performance
Martin Atkinson had a solid game in the middle and was not forced into making any contentious calls. He handed out five well-deserved bookings and dealt well with the atmosphere created by the Stoke supporters.
What next?
Stoke: Stoke are back in action next weekend with a trip to Swansea.
Sunderland: The Black Cats will welcome Southampton to the Stadium of Light next weekend.
Alex Meyers
