This was Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland team at their very best. I recall this game like it was yesterday, and yet it is in fact three years since we dismantled Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough at the Stadium
of Light.
Littered with attacking talent in the shape of Ross Stewart, Jack Clarke, Patrick Roberts, and Amad Diallo, the team’s front four were as good – if not better – than any other attacking threat in the division, and with players like that in the team, we were always in with a chance.
Carrick’s team arrived on Wearside in a slightly better position in the table than ourselves, but we were on a decent run of form after a very positive Christmas, which saw us move closer and closer towards the play-off places. A 3-1 defeat to Swansea City at the Stadium of Light a week previously appeared to have no impact on the team, as they were explosive in the first few minutes.
Less than ten minutes were on the clock when ‘Boro goalkeeper Zak Steffen – who was on loan from Manchester City – inexplicably passed straight to Amad Diallo on the edge of his own box but was rescued by the Ivorian’s poor finish from a situation where it looked more difficult to miss.
Sunderland’s captain Corry Evans went off injured only minutes into the game, but his replacement, Edouard Michut, had a very strong display in his absence, which transpired to be a gateway into the team for the young Frenchman on loan from PSG.
Just before half-time, Ross Stewart’s speculative volley brought out a decent save from Steffen, but it was early in the second half that we finally made the breakthrough.
When Dael Fry was caught out in possession just four minutes after the restart, he brought down Stewart in the penalty area as he chased a through ball, earning himself a straight red card from the referee.
Although Steffen guessed correctly, diving to his left to turn Stewart’s spot-kick on to the post, the rebound fell perfectly for the Scotland international, who took his time before gently tapping the ball into the empty net to relieve the pressure from the stands.
Carrick changed the team up in the hope of getting something out of the game, but Sunderland continued to dominate in a game where Amad Diallo was showing why Manchester United spent all that money on him. His trickery and quick feet were becoming more and more difficult for the ten men of Boro to deal with as the game wore on.
With ten minutes left, we secured all three points when Diallo wrapped up the win when he collected a return ball from Roberts and cut it inside on to his left foot before firing past Steffen at the near post. The crowd went mental as they could smell the victory in what topped off an excellent performance from an ever-improving Sunderland side.
After the game, Mowbray declared that his team fully deserved the three points and expressed his delight with the victory, though stressed that there was no talk of a promotion push just yet.
I think we deserved to win, we created chances and moved the ball well against a good team who have very definitive patterns of play.
It’s the right result in my mind, although Middlesbrough will have their own opinions, of course.
I like this group of players, they’re adapting to this division and working really hard to be a decent team.
There’s no huge expectation from me or the people in suits at this club to get to the play-offs or get promotion. We just have to keep trying to produce a team that can compete in this division and, as we build it over the next year or two, the aspirations of the team will get higher.
Despite all the manager’s protestations, his team was clearly going in one direction, and that was going to become clear as the season entered its final stages in May.
