Beachballs, THAT volley and a perfect farewell - Bolo Zenden picks the defining games of his Wearside spell

Liverpool (H) October 17th, 2009

“The beach ball incident! Speaks for itself,” Zenden says.

To the neutral, it remains one of the most infamous moments in the history of the Premier League.

Yet the controversy sparked by Darren Bent’s fifth-minute strike also served to deflect attention away from one of the club’s best performances of the modern era.

It was a particularly special day for Zenden, too.

“It was against my old team-mates, too, having come back to the Premier League after two years with Olympique de Marseille,” he says.

Zenden had enjoyed two years at Liverpool, winning the Community Shield, the UEFA Super Cup, and playing a part in the club’s run to the Champions League final.

He forged a strong bond with manager Rafa Benitez and the two would eventually join forces at Chelsea in 2012.

You can listen to our team discuss the games Bolo picked in a special edition of our Roar podcast here

Zenden had completed his move to Sunderland the day before, signing as a free agent after impressing on trial.

During a trial, manager Steve Bruce had quickly been convinced that the Dutch midfielder had something to offer a group that had begun the season in encouraging fashion.

“His performances in training persuaded me that he has a valuable role to play this season," Bruce said.

“It was immediately obvious that he is still supremely fit and the move happened fairly quickly.

"He brings international class, a steadying influence and a wide breadth of experience.

"His career is testament to his quality and he gives us more depth in central midfield which is a vital position.”

Zenden began the game on the bench and his team-mates made a flying start.

Liverpool had come close to landing the title the previous season but they were struggling and neither Steven Gerrard nor Fernando Torres were available.

Sunderland played an attacking 4-4-2, reliant on the intensity and combative midfield pairing of Lee Cattermole and Lorik Cana.

Andy Reid went close within two minutes and a few minutes later came the famous moment.

Reid crossed in from the right and the ball broke to the far post, where Bent had smartly dropped into space.

His shot took a clear deflection and left Pepe Reina helpless.

Many, though, hadn’t quite realised the scale of what had just occurred.

A furious Pepe Reina remonstrated with the officials, but many of his own defenders, including Jamie Carragher, had no idea what had really happened.

Zenden was watching from the bench at the time.

“At the time I didn't see exactly what had happened,” he said.

“It was only later that I realised the goal should not have stood.”

Glen Johnson was the closest to the ball and even he did not realise that Bent’s effort had struck a beachball, thrown onto the pitch by a Liverpool supporter shortly before kick-off.

“It was a weak shot,” he would later say.

“I was straight down the line of it, so I stuck my foot out to routinely block the shot. I was in line with it, so I knew I wouldn’t miss it, but all of a sudden I didn’t touch the ball.

“I’m looking around and the first thing I saw with a beach ball in the air, but I didn’t realise it had hit that at the time.

“It was a one of those crazy moments. It was madness.”

Sunderland, though, were dominant.

Liverpool never got going and Bent twice went within inches of doubling his side’s as the game developed. Steed Malbranque also missed a good opening as the visitors laboured.

The second half was tougher and Sunderland had to come through some significant challenges.

George McCartney came off injured and Cana dropped into the heart of the defence.

It was a surprise to many but the Albanian was outstanding, making countless vital interceptions and clearances.

One player not in the slightest bit surprised was his former Marseille team-mate, Zenden.

“I do remember that we played really well and that it was the first time Lorik played from the back,” Zenden recalls.

“It suited him well. I knew he would do the job as he played there on occasions for Marseille.”

Zenden was brought on for an early debut as Lee Cattermole suffered an injury, followed shortly after by Kenwyne Jones.

Some strong late saves from Craig Gordon helped them over the line, but the recriminations continued.

Benitez was magnanimous after the game, conceding that his side had struggled. But it soon became clear that referee Mike Jones had erred, and that he should have disallowed the goal and played a drop ball.

The Premier League were forced to clarify that they would not order the game to be replayed, while Jones was demoted to the Championship for the next round of fixtures though.

Bruce, though, said anyone who claimed to know the rule was a ‘saddo’.

His team had been superb, and climbed above Liverpool into seventh position.

It was the perfect start for Zenden, even if some of his former team-mates are to this day still baffled by what had occurred.

“After the game I had a normal chat with my old team-mates,” he says.

“They were disappointed but OK with me.

“I still have contact with some ex-colleagues, Pepe Reina is one of them and still believes the goal should not have stood, and rightly so!”

Sunderland, though, fully deserved their three points in front of an electric, capacity crowd.

Sunderland XI: Gordon; Bardsley, Turner, Ferdinand, McCartney (Henderson, 45); Malbranque, Cana, Cattermole (Zenden, 58), Reid; Bent, Jones (Campbell, 66)

Unused subs: Fulop, Nosworthy, Da Silva, Healy

Goal: Bent, 5

Tottenham Hotspur (H) April 3rd, 2010

The optimism of that early-season period faded dramatically during a bleak midwinter in which Sunderland went fourteen league games without a win.

After a tame draw with Fulham at the end of February, they sat 14th in the table but found themselves just two points above the dropzone.

An emphatic win over Bolton, in which Darren Bent scored a hat-trick, sparked a mini-revival that reached a crescendo in one of the most remarkable wins at the Stadium of Light.

Tottenham Hotspur came to the Stadium of Light in pole position to secure a Champions League spot and with a side featuring Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Kyle Walker.

The vast majority of Zenden’s appearances in this campaign came from the bench and this was by far his most memorable contribution.

Sunderland flew out of the blocks and it was obvious that this one meant just a little bit more to Bent.

His departure from Spurs in the previous summer had been acrimonious.

Despite being the top scorer in the previous season, Harry Redknapp had infamously criticised him for missing an open goal. He went on to force the move north after an expletive-ridden rant at Daniel Levy on Twitter.

At White Hart Lane earlier in the campaign, he missed a penalty in a game Sunderland had dominated and somehow managed to lose 2-0.

Now, he was eager to make up for lost time.

Barely a minute had been played when he slammed in a close-range effort from a corner, before firing an outstanding penalty beyond Heurelho Gomes.

To his obvious satisfaction, both goals were in front of the travelling support and his celebrations were pointed.

Sunderland were absolutely dominant even if Craig Gordon had to save well from Eidur Gudjhonsen and Bale.

But Bent would miss two penalties as fears began to grow that the Black Cats could spurn their advantage.

The first saw Gomes fly to his left to save well, the second to his left, pushing the ball onto the inside of the post.

Anton Ferdinand scored and began to celebrate in almost comically extravagant fashion, only to discover that the goal had been disallowed for a foul.

Redknapp made a crucial substitution, throwing on Peter Crouch for the ineffective Roman Pavlyuchenko.

He scored soon after and began to torment the Sunderland defence.

Even then, the home side should have put the contest to bed.

Substitute Zenden showed superb composure to gather a cross into the box, but saw his effort cleared off the line by a backtracking Younes Kaboul.

There were less than five minutes on the clock when the Dutchman made his most memorable contribution.

Jordan Henderson had been irrepressible in midfield throughout, with Guy Mowbray noting on Match of the Day commentary that the 19-year-old looked ‘a real prospect’.

He gathered the ball and drove downfield after superb striking play from Kenwyne Jones, gathering a long ball and wriggling away from two markers.

There was frustration in the crowd as Henderson resisted the urge to shoot, instead passing into the feet of Frzier Campbell.

It was a good call.

Henderson overlapped and looked up, drifting a perfect cross to the back post.

Zenden was in space at the back post, and leapt into the air to strike a magnificent first-time volley back across goal.

“I remember it was a game that we should have won anyway,” Zenden says.

“But my goal made the difference and really put it to bed.

“My family was present at this game as well so it was a bit more special to me.

“We deserved the win.

“I always practiced volleys but you never know how it is going to work out in a game.

“Practice makes perfect!

“When it comes to you in such a sweet way you have to give it a go.”Quite.

Though a certain effort from Jermain Defoe would surpass it a few years later, it remains one of the most-loved goals to be scored at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland XI: Gordon; Da Silva, Turner, Ferdinand, Richardson; Malbranque (Zenden, 78), Henderson, Meyler, Cattermole; Campbell (Bardsley, 89), Bent (Jones, 78)

Unused Subs: Carson, Liddle, Kilgallon, Benjani

Goals: Bent 1, 29 (pen), Crouch 72, Zenden 86

West Ham United (A) May 22nd, 2011

The arrivals of Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck took Sunderland to a new level for much of the following campaign.

After a 2-1 win over Blackpool in January, the Black Cats were sixth with a seven-point cushion in the European places.

Similar to the previous campaign, however, a long run of poor form saw them slip down the table.

They went nine without a win in the league before a cathartic 4-2 win over Wigan Athletic.

Going into the final day of the season, they still had a chance to finish in the top half. They needed three points at Upton Park and other results to go their way.

By this point, Zenden had made a big decision.

He had not played as much football as he would have liked and though Steve Bruce was eager to keep him, his mind was made up.

He would leave that summer and as a nod to his excellent service over two exciting seasons, he captained the side at already-relegated West Ham United.

He opened the scoring with a brilliant header, only inches inside the box as he met Ahmed Elmohamaday’s cross, looping his effort over Rob Green.

Simon Mignolet was forced into some big saves thereafter but Sunderland ran out 3-0 comfortable and emphatic winners; Stephane Sessegnon and Cristian Riveros getting on the scoresheet.

“I scored the opening goal with a header in my last game as a professional player,” Zenden recalls.

“Though I didn't know that at the time.

“I started the game as captain and by winning we finished the league in 10th.

“Everyone was in a really good mood after the game and we really enjoyed it.

“I already knew it was my last game for the club as I had decided to leave but I didn't know it was my last game as a professional.

“It never came to a new deal at a new club before starting my managerial career as an assistant manager at Chelsea in 2012.”

Zenden left on a high, but speaking to the BBC after the game, Bruce admitted it would be tinged with regret.

“I can understand, we’ve all been there,” he said.

“I can’t offer him one thing, a guaranteed place.

“Maybe I should have played him more during the horrible run we had but up until January, there was no room for him as we were playing well.

“He’s a great pro and I wish him well.”

It would prove to be the high watermark of Sunderland’s Premier League spell.

Bruce struggled the season after and Sunderland never threatened the upper reaches of the league again.

Zenden’s professionalism and quality, as well as that dance with Gyan at Stamford Bridge, means he remains a popular figure on Wearside.

“I enjoyed my time at the club,” he says.

“It was one that was very much involved in the community with its foundation.”

His coaching career continues to progress, currently assisting Ernest Faber at PSV Eindhoven.

He is unsure yet whether he wishes to pursue management in his own right, but such a rich background in the game mean there are always likely to be opportunities.

Sunderland XI: Mignolet; Bardsley (Riveros, 68), Onuoha, Ferdinand, Colback; Elmohamaday, Henderson, Zenden, Malbranque, Sessegnon; Gyan (Cook, 73)

Unused Subs: Noble, Adams, Knott, Lynch, Carson

Goals: Zenden 17, Sessegnon 51, Riveros 90