Eliezer Mayenda’s first-half goal for the Black Cats was cancelled out by a second-half equaliser from Bournemouth substitute Evanilson.
What were the main talking points on the south coast?
BACK ON TRACK
It wasn’t a return to winning ways for Sunderland, but this was a decent way to steady the ship after a run of three successive league defeats.
The Black Cats were excellent in the first half as they snapped around energetically and attacked with pace and purpose. Mayenda’s opening goal was fully merited, and Regius Le Bris’ side fully deserved the lead they took into the break.
The second half was different, with Bournemouth getting on top, and given their dominance after the interval, the home side might well feel they should have taken all three points.
Sunderland’s defending for Evanilson’s equaliser was poor, but on the whole, the Black Cats’ backline did well against energetic opposition.
Given the number of players they have missing, this was a creditable away display from the Wearsiders, who have edged to within three points of the 40-point safety mark set by Le Bris.
MAGNIFICENT MAYENDA
In the absence of the injured Brian Brobbey, Regis Le Bris had a decision to make over who to play up front instead of the Dutchman. Mayenda or Wilson Isidor?
He went with Mayenda, and it proved to be the right decision. The Spaniard handed Sunderland the lead in the 18th minute, volleying home the rebound after Dorde Petrovic could only parry Habib Diarra’s low shot into his path.
But aside from scoring his second goal of the season, Mayenda also impressed thanks to the quality of his hold-up play and ability to mix it physically with both James Hill and Marcos Senesi.
In the absence of Brobbey, there was a fear that the ball would keep coming back when Sunderland played it upfield. Time and again, though, Mayenda shielded the ball with his back to goal and brought his team-mates into play.
Isidor got his chance in the recent FA Cup fourth-round win at Oxford, and didn’t really take it. While Mayenda’s performance levels dipped slightly in the second half, this was still a day when the Spaniard made the most of his opportunity to impress.
SECOND-HALF SWING
Sunderland’s chance to potentially make the game safe came within the opening two minutes of the second half.
A brilliant through ball from Enzo Le Fee sent Habib Diarra racing into the area, but the midfielder’s shot was much too close to Dorde Petrovic, who was able to save.
From that point onwards, it was Bournemouth who were on top. Whereas Sunderland were able to pin the Cherries back and create chances in the first half, it was pretty much one-way traffic after the break, with Andoni Iraola’s half-time introduction of Evanilson for David Brooks making his side much more effective as an attacking force.
Bournemouth’s equaliser came in the 63rd minute, with a quick free-kick creating a crossing opportunity for Marcus Tavernier on the left. Robin Roefs thought about coming for the cross, then changed his mind, and having outjumped Omar Alderete at the back post, Evanilson converted via his shoulder.
EARLY PENALTY CONTROVERSY
Should Sunderland have had a penalty in the opening five minutes? They certainly had an extremely strong case.
Anywhere else on the pitch, and Alex Jimenez’s barge into the back of Enzo Le Fee would surely have been deemed to be a foul. The Bournemouth full-back had no intention of playing the ball, and Le Fee went over just as he was shaping to shoot.
Referee Jarred Gillett awarded a foul for a similar incident involving Granit Xhaka close to the halfway line a couple of minutes later, but opted to wave play on when Sunderland were looking for an early spot-kick.
VAR opted not to intervene, deeming Jimenez’s barge to be “normal contact”, but former referees’ chief, Mike Dean, summer up the folly of that decision in his role as a pundit on Sky Sports. “If that is normal contact, we might as well go home,” said Dean. “It's just a penalty. It is not normal contact. It's a penalty all day.”
The controversial decisions didn’t stop there as, in the second half, Tyler Adams was booked for a lunging tackle that caught Xhaka’s ankle that could easily have resulted in a red card. Again, VAR decided not to intervene.