Sunderland dismiss Potters

Sunderland did their survival hopes the world of good by beating rivals Stoke 2-0 on Saturday.

Black Cats earn three points against 10 man Stoke

Sunderland did their survival hopes the world of good by beating rivals Stoke 2-0 on Saturday. Kenwyne Jones' close-range header on 77 minutes broke the deadlock, but Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen should hang his head in shame at his old stamping ground for failing to keep Trinidad and Tobago striker's effort out. It looked as though the one goal would do it after the Potters, who had to use all three substitutes in the first half an hour, had Matthew Etherington sent off midway through the second half for kicking Danny Collins. But substitute David Healy added a second in the final minute of added time when he tracked down Jones' scuffed shot to render referee Rob Styles' astonishing first-half blunder irrelevant. Styles got out of jail after failing to spot substitute Danny Pugh handling Steed Malbranque's 39th-minute header on the line, denying the Black Cats a penalty and sparing the defender a seemingly inevitable sending-off. The win will have come as a huge relief to Sbragia, who takes his side to Arsenal and Liverpool in their next two games. By contrast, the Potters left Wearside having failed to make the most of their let-off when substitute Henri Camara smashed a 66th-minute shot against the crossbar, and facing injury and suspension problems after a black day in the North East. A return of four points from their previous two games sent Sunderland into the game knowing a fifth league win of the season at the Stadium of Light would ease them well clear of the relegation zone.

Blunder

In a tight first half, they enjoyed the better chances, but Styles' blunder denied them a lead they probably deserved. Former Black Cat Sorensen had earlier beaten away a stinging left-foot drive from Jones, while Collins had headed a driven Kieran Richardson cross over the bar and would see Stephen Kelly clear an injury-time effort off the line. However, the Potters enjoyed an astonishing reprieve with six minutes of the half remaining. Andy Reid's chipped cross begged Malbranque to head it home at the far post, and he would have succeeded had Pugh, an 18th-minute replacement for Andy Wilkinson, not instinctively thrown out a hand and blocked his effort. It was a save of which Sorensen might have been proud, but as the ball cannoned back off Malbranque and out of play, the referee awarded only a goal-kick to an incredulous response from virtually everyone else inside the stadium. Styles should clearly have awarded a penalty and brandished a red card, and he will not have enjoyed watching television replays of the incident which suggested the ball had crossed the line anyway. Stoke might argue they were due their stroke of good luck after little else went their way before the break. Indeed, by the time the clock reached the 30-minute mark, boss Tony Pulis had already been forced to introduce all three of his substitutes with Wilkinson, Ryan Shawcross and Ricardo Fuller all succumbing to injury, the latter after an awkward fall left him with an injured shoulder. They too had their chances with Richard Cresswell firing an acrobatic overhead kick just wide with 11 minutes gone and Camara forcing Marton Fulop into a decent save within seconds of his introduction.

Smarting

The snow which started to fall at half-time simply added to the wintry atmosphere which greeted Styles and his assistants as they returned with the home fans among a crowd of 38,350 still smarting. But with Stoke defending deep and in numbers with great resilience, clear-cut chances were few and far between and the locals were growing increasingly restless. Abdoulaye Faye just prevented Collins from connecting with a 57th-minute Reid free-kick at the far post, and the pressure was mounting all the time. Stoke's problems increased substantially seven minutes later when Etherington and Collins tangled off the ball and the midfielder was dismissed for kicking out at the defender, who was booked for his pains. But the 10 men almost snatched the lead two minutes later when Camara drilled the ball against the crossbar in the midst of a goalmouth scramble following Glenn Whelan's free-kick. Djibril Cisse and substitute Carlos Edwards sent powerful volleys across goal in quick succession with the Black Cats pushing once again, but the breakthrough finally came with 13 minutes remaining. Jones climbed high at the back post to meet Reid's cross and send a downward header past Sorensen to ease the tension. The striker then turned provider at the death for Healy to cement the win and kill off Stoke's resistance.

Sunderland	Team Statistics	Stoke City
2	Goals	0
0	1st Half Goals	0
5	Shots on Target	1
7	Shots off Target	5
3	Blocked Shots	1
3	Corners	3
7	Fouls	9
1	Offsides	1
2	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	1
80.8	Passing Success	64.3
12	Tackles	13
75	Tackles Success	76.9
61.1	Possession	38.9
58.2	Territorial Advantage	41.8