Sunderland survived a first-half onslaught from Swansea City to take a point from a goalless draw at the Stadium of Light this evening.
Michu, Pablo Hernandez and Jonathan de Guzman all looked threatening for Swansea, but none was able to beat Simon Mignolet in the Sunderland goal.
The hosts fought back after the break, but failed to test Gerhard Tremmel.
Sport Mole takes an in-depth look at the entertaining draw.
Match statistics:
Sunderland:
Shots 2
On target 0
Possession 36%
Corners 3
Fouls 13
Swansea:
Shots 12
On target 4
Possession 64%
Corners 4
Fouls 12
Was the result fair?
Probably not. When you looks at the first-half performance of Swansea City, there is no doubt that the visitors should have been at least a goal to the good. Sunderland showed great spirit after the break to get back in the game, but Michael Laudrup's side still had the better of the chances in the second half.
Sunderland's performance
Sunderland did not make that many errors in the first half, but they were unable to get on the ball, being completely outplayed by their opponents. They showed their fighting spirit after half time, but were unable to show the same level of dominance as Swansea. Not woeful, but definitely lacklustre.
Swansea's performance
Swansea were magnificent in first 45 minutes, running rings around their opponents. After a bright start from Sunderland, the visitors fought their way back in to the game, ending the stronger of the two sides. The only part of their game that was lacking this evening was their finishing, improved accuracy in front of goal would surely have secured them all three points this evening.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Jonathan de Guzman: The Swansea midfielder was a workhorse throughout the match, creating some of their better chances in the first half, while also dropping back in to defence when Sunderland came at them after the break. His pace and skills were too much for the Black Cats to handle during the first half. He might not have had the most shots, but he certainly set up a few.
Biggest gaffe
It was a relatively gaffe-free occasion, but Craig Gardner's free kick in the first half might just take this award. The 26-year-old usually has a good free kick from 20 yards, but this effort was a shocker, looping high in to the crowd. He had another go from a similar distance after the break, but still missed the target.
Referee performance
With only three bookings between the two sides, it was a relatively quiet night for Andre Marriner. Swansea may feel like the referee denied them a penalty in the first half, but replays were inconclusive. Marriner boldly booked James McClean for diving, although it looked like Chico did make a little contact with the Sunderland player. Despite that, there were no glaring errors from the ref.
What next?
Sunderland The Black Cats face a trip to the Madejski Stadium on Saturday from a Premier League tie against Reading.
Swansea Swansea are on the road against this weekend, with a Premier League match against West Ham on Saturday.
Sian Cowper
