Sunderland didn’t win, meaning their winless run in the league has now been extended to four matches. They still left the south coast with far more positives than negatives though, with their spirit, commitment and willingness to match Bournemouth’s physicality blow for blow reminiscent of so many of the early-season displays that pushed them up the Premier League table. After a couple of surprisingly listless showings on home soil, this was the Black Cats back to somewhere close to their belligerent best.
“We are talking about building foundations, and the lads in the dressing room after the game were talking about the energy and the intensity they had to show,” said a satisfied Regis Le Bris. “It is a blueprint for the rest of the season.
“If you can’t manage this part of the performance, then you can’t be at the level where you need to be. We had many reasons that explained why we dropped a bit – injuries, fatigue – I think it is normal. We are still a newly-promoted side with different events we are having to handle. But today we showed that we can be at the level we need to be at when we have the right values.”
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Was it a coincidence that those values returned once Granit Xhaka was back in the starting line-up? It didn’t feel like one. Xhaka is the heartbeat of this Sunderland side, the leader who organises everything and everyone on the pitch. He is also a supremely-talented midfielder, and just as significantly, his presence means those around him can play their own game.
This was only the first time since mid-September that Xhaka, Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki had lined up in the same starting XI, and Sunderland immediately looked much more competitive and much better-balanced for having the trio back together.
Xhaka exerted a calming authority, Sadiki was all energy, tearing around here, there and everywhere, Diarra was breaking forward adding another dimension to Sunderland’s attack. Had the latter scored at the start of the second half, when he broke onto Enzo Le Fee’s through ball, only to then shoot straight at Bournemouth goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic, the Black Cats might well have taken all three points.
As it was, they had to be content with a draw when Evanilson’s second-half conversion of Marcus Tavernier’s cross cancelled out Eliezer Mayenda’s first-half opener. Sunderland’s first-half counter-attacking play had been reasonably impressive, but it was the resilience they displayed in the second half as they repelled a series of late Bournemouth attacks that really stood out.
“When you start losing, it is always a bit different because the confidence is affected,” said Le Bris. “I think that is normal. In this league, resilience is really key.
“We showed it in this game, and that is probably the best outcome we could have had, really. We have quality – I don’t have any doubts about that. But after a few defeats, it is a question of mindset, and that was a very good reaction in terms of that.”
Sunderland’s refusal to buckle was especially impressive given that there were a number of times during Saturday’s game when it felt as if they were playing against ten men.
Why on earth Jarred Gillett didn’t award a fourth-minute penalty when Alex Jimenex clearly barged over Le Fee in the box is baffling, with VAR’s subsequent refusal to overturn the decision even harder to fathom.
Gillett was unable to exert any kind of authority all afternoon – every corner, whether for Sunderland or Bournemouth, was effectively a wrestling free-for-all with the referee relinquishing all of his responsibilities – and Le Bris was especially infuriated by the Australian official’s failure to send off Tyler Adams when he clattered into Granit Xhaka’s ankle in the second half. Adams was booked for the incident, but only after Gillett had initially awarded a free-kick to Bournemouth.
“It was a foot-on-foot challenge, and that is always dangerous,” said Le Bris, whose side will almost certainly experience another high-intensity challenge when they head to Leeds United on Tuesday. “Often in this league, when you have this kind of action, it is a red card. It wasn’t, even though it was really dangerous.
“There were a couple of situations like that where things were just on the edge for the integrity of the players. I think it is important to protect them, even if the intensity of the game was high.”