Hull City 0-1 Sunderland: Big controversy, moment of magic and star performer in defence

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Sunderland are top of the Championship after a superb away win

Sunderland maintained their spot at the top of the Championship table thanks to Wilson Isidor’s audacious second-half strike at Hull City.

Isidor’s intervention was the difference in a tight game of very few chances, with the hosts left furious that key decisions had gone against them. Here’s the story of the game and its key talking points from a Sunderland perspective...

SUNDERLAND EDGE QUIET START

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After the long wait for the return of Championship football, this contest was perhaps more sedate than fans of either side would have hoped for. Sunderland, though, would have been pleased with a reasonable level of control they were able to exert on the contest. Hull were happy by and large to sit deep and look too break in numbers when they won it back, but Sunderland were giving them little space to work with.

The first notable effort of the game came when Rigg found Hume inside the box with an audacious pass through the legs of a Hull defender, but the right back’s effort was well blocked. Sunderland then worked a half chance for Wilson Isidor after a nice turn away from his marker allowed Dan Neil to break into the box, the loose ball finding the Frenchman but his effort on his weaker foot was comfortably saved.

HULL THREATEN AS SUNDERLAND WALK TIGHTROPE

Anthony Patterson went into the interval having barely made a save, though that was not necessarily a reflection of the balance of the game. Hull City were consistently a threat on the break as the half developed, Sunderland trying to find the balance between getting bodies in the box and not being exposed. Through wingers Kamara and Belloumi the hosts were on numerous occasions poured forward into dangerous areas, denid by some poor decision making and some good defending. Chris Mepham was particularly impressive in this regard, on two or three occasions making crucial interventions to deny striker Chris Bedia a clear run at goal.

Sunderland ended the half with the best effort either side had mustered, O’Nien doing well to burst forward and steal a pass. The ball ran kindly for Jobe Bellingham, who took one touch to get the ball out from his feet before driving a low effort from range inches wide of the near post.

SUNDERLAND AVOID A BIG SCARE

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Referee Bobby Madley found himself surrounded by Hull players at the interval, incensed that he had not given a handball when Mepham tried to deal with a long ball forward. Had Mepham been penalised then it would have left Madley with a big decision as Puerta would have been through. A big call in the context of the game, just seconds before the break.

Sunderland had enjoyed plenty of the ball in wide areas with Hull City defending very narrowly, but the visitors had just lacked the quality they needed from their wingers to turn that into a big chance.

SUNDERLAND’S NARROW ESCAPE

The rhythm of the game flipped in the early stages of the second half, Hull dominating possession and the Black Cats the side being forced deeper. The hosts went close to taking the lead first when Belloumi worked some space on the edge of the box, his effort whizzing not far over the bar as he drove in from the right.

Then Hull were able to pinch possession high up the pitch and work into the box, where Bedia cleverly worked some space. His thumping left-footed effort beat Patterson but cracked off the crossbar and clear, by some distance the best chance of the game and a fortunate escape for the Black Cats.

A GLORIOUS COUNTER - BUT MORE CONTROVERSY

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Hull looked to be strongly in the ascendancy but were caught out by Sunderland from their own corner, Neil picking the right moment to press an steal possession. That left Isidor 1-v-1 near the halfway line and he quickly burst clear. It looked as if the angle was starting to narrow as Hull recovered but Isidor did superbly, dinking an effort over Pandur to give his side the lead against the run of play.

It was another moment of big controversy in the game, with Hull furious with the referee. They argued that his positioning had played a key part in allowing Sunderland to pinch the ball. There had been a similar incident in the first half involving Neil himself on the ball, and the home fans were furious when Madley again blocked Neil’s path moments late. This time, he stopped the game.

SUNDERLAND SEE OUT BIG WIN

Hull City turned quickly to their impressive bench to try and turn the tide of the contest but to Sunderland’s credit, they saw it out with relative ease. Patterson was largely unworked late on and the closest either side came to another goal was when Chris Rigg rifled a half volley into the side netting.

Sunderland were far from their fluid best and the hosts will feel they deserved something from the game, but the Black Cats seized their moment in the second half. Key to their win was that regal defensive performance from Chris Mepham and Dan Neil’s best showing of the season in front of the defence.

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Sunderland XI: Patterson; Hume, Mepham, O’Nien, Cirkin; Neil, Jobe, Rigg; Roberts (Browne, 83), Mundle, Isidor (Connolly, 74)

Subs: Moore, Rusyn, Aouchiche, Aleksic, Hjelde, Watson, Johnson

Hull City XI: Pandur, Coyle, Hughes (Pedro, 85) , Jones, Mehlem (Palmer, 69), Bedia, Simons (Zambrano, 85), Puerta (Slater, 69) , Drameh, Belloumi, Kamara (Millar, 65)

Subs: Racioppi, Giles, McLoughlin, Pedro, Zambrano, Burstow

Bookings: Roberts, 83

Attendance: 23,072

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