OPPO: Norwich City
VENUE: Carrow Road
RESULT: 1-0
TEAM: Poom ,Williams ( Quinn ,82 ) ,Breen ,McCartney ,Arca ,Oster (sent off 70) ,Whitley ,Healy ,Tommy Smith ( Proctor ,68 ) ,Stewart ,Kyle
SUBS NOT USED: : Ingham, Clark, Bjorklund
BACK IN BLACK: Graham Poll (Tring)
ATTENDANCE: 16,427
MCCARTHY’S COMMENTS
“We should have got something from that game and we haven’t. There’s no way we deserved to get beaten, but you don’t always get what you deserve in this game and now we’ve just got to pick ourselves up and start again.”
“I know it sounds hollow but we were quite considerably the better side.
“I’m upset that we didn’t get anything out of the game and I’m annoyed because I don’t like getting beat.
“We came here to try and win the game and played well enough to have done so – and we’ll be going to West Brom to try and do the same and Gillingham after that.
“If we keep playing as well as that I’m sure we’ll get something out of those games. We were the better team and I feel hollow – we played well and got nothing.
“We shouldn’t have let a player get a free shot from a set-piece. It was a litany of missed chances and we have lost the game, but we won’t change our philosophy now and will take the same approach into our next game.
“I was pleased with the performamce of all my players.”
On John Oster’s dismissal:
“He has retaliated after what was a very competitive two-footed challenge. I thought it was a bad challenge, a two-footed tackle from Drury. I’ve spoken to Graham Poll and told him I thought if he’d blown for the first foul I might still have had 11 players on the park.
“But John has retaliated and it’s always the player who retaliates who gets sent off – that’s the rules and there’s no disputing them but I felt it could’ve been avoided.
Stewart’s desire to score could not match that of his co-striker, Kevin Kyle.
Kyle spent much of yesterday’s match at Carrow Road operating up front virtually on his own.
Sunderland’s defensive approach seemed to be working well – until the 33rd minute, when . Damien Francis scored what proved to be the only goal.
Norwich were understandably full of optimism against Mick McCarthy’s team who, after showing considerable improvement in recent weeks, were so ravaged by injury that they were down to their last two fit central midfield players in Colin Healy and Jeff Whitley.
Norwich almost celebrated a goal after seven minutes, Mart Poom reacting quickly to block a shot from Peter Crouch.
…a thoroughly entertaining end-to-end first half.
A series of gilt-edged chances continued to be squandered at both ends and it was Norwich who finally broke the deadlock.
Norwich badly needed the comfort of a second goal and had two excellent opportunities as the Sunderland charge receded.
Oster appeared to kick out at home captain Adam Drury and was shown a straight red card.
Sunderland’s 10 men tried valiantly to save the game but this was one blow too many for McCarthy’s battling team.
It seemed Norwich’s unbeaten record would be under threat by a Sunderland side unbeaten in seven league games and with clean sheets in their last four.
Any chance the visitors may have had of salvaging a point disappeared when they were reduced to ten men.
Francis’s surging runs from midfield were a feature of his dynamic display and Norwich might have been far more convincing winners.
Oster might have fired Sunderland ahead when Marcus Stewart spotted him unmarked just 12 yards out. But although he had time and space, Oster lifted the ball well over the top.
Five minutes before the break Arca was a hero at the other end to deny the Canaries a possible second goal. Paul McVeigh’s pass over the Sunderland defence sent Huckerby clear, but Arca not only kept pace but also dispossessed him.
People ratings: Poom 7 – Williams 7 (Quinn 82mins), Breen 7, McCartney 6 – *ARCA 8, Oster 6, Healy 6, Whitley 6, Smith 6 (Proctor 68mins, 5) – Kyle 7, Stewart 6.
…a hard-fought encounter between two well-matched sides.
Sunderland hit the woodwork twice and should have made more of a purple patch early in the second half.
The goal that decided the game arrived in the 33rd minute and had much to do with the aerial threat posed by Peter Crouch.
Kevin Kyle and Marcus Stewart both hit the woodwork with headers.
Crouch then produced a neat lob which Poom was equal to as the game swung from end to end.
It was the first goal conceded in 434 minutes by Sunderland they hit back immediately with Green needing to be alert to keep out Julio Arca’s drive.
Sunderland began the second half in attacking form, to the point that some of their play wasn’t entirely gentlemanly.
Sunderland’s build up play improved, but they just didn’t seem able to break through.
Jeff Whitley and Tommy Smith failed to find the target with long-range efforts as Sunderland continued to press.
After Oster came off Mick McCarthy had a spat with one of the supporters behind the dugout and it was frayed tempers all round.
Sunderland continued to battle on, but they just didn’t seem able to push through Norwich’s defences to equalise, let alone win.