Sunderland 0-0 Bristol City: Initial response, goalkeeping heroics and final-third frustration

Sunderland were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw with Bristol City on Saturday as their Championship game fizzles out to a conclusion.

The Black Cats created much the better of the chances throughout the game, denied in the first half only by a string of excellent saves from Max O’Leary in the Bristol City goal. Here’s the story of the game and its talking points from a Sunderland perspective...

BRISTOl CITY HAVE FIRST SIGHT OF GOAL - BUT SUNDERLAND QUICKLY TAKE CHARGE

Sunderland were a little fortunate to avoid conceding an early goal when Anis Mehmeti had the beating of Trai Hume on the left flank, his low cross just evading his team-mates and eventually turned just over his own crossbar by Dan Neil. From the following corner the ball dropped kindly for Mark Sykes, but Ballard did well to clear his lines in front of his own goal.

From there, Sunderland began to take charge. The howling winds were in their favour, having opted to switch halves when winning the coin toss before the game. Bristol City were finding going direct was almost impossible and a good press from the Black Cats was yielding opportunities. Ballard almost got on the scoresheet when a loose ball from a corner dropped kindly for him in the box, his effort clawed away superbly by Max O’Leary. The hosts continued to have the better of the contest and should have been ahead when Rigg and then Neil saw efforts blocked inside the box, the loose ball dropping for Aouchiche who drove his effort wide from a promising position.

SUNDERLAND IN CONTROL BUT INSPIRED O’LEARY DENIES THEM

Bristol City’s struggles to retain possession continued, leading to a big chance when Neil teed up Bellingham. The forward in turn played in Clarke, but his effort was too close to O’Leary and saved relatively easily. That was a save you’d have expected him to make, but the the pair of double saves he managed later in the half were superb. Clarke pounced on another loose pass to send Bellingham through 1-v-1 but O’Leary got down well to save, quickly recovering to claw Clarke’s follow up clear. He then did well to deny an effort from Neil with his trailing leg at the near post, then somehow tipping Aouchiche’s header onto the crossbar.

Sunderland had almost entirely dominated the first half, but were fortunate that they didn’t go into the break behind when Wells was able to chase a loose ball down to the byline. He found Twine with his low cross and though the attacking midfielder beat Patterson, O’Nien did well to drop in and make the block on his own goalline.

SECOND HALF A MORE EVEN AFFAIR - BUT VERY LITTLE QUALITY ON SHOW

As expected, the conditions made the game a different proposition in the second half - aided also by Liam Manning’s decision to change formation. Though Bristol City made it a far more even contest with the wind at their backs, they still struggled to show any real quality in posession and Patterson was almost entirely untested. There was a nervous moment when a corner dropped for James, but his effort was straight at the goalkeeper.

Sunderland themselves were struggling to really build pressure in the final third, leading to Dodds turning quickly to his bench and the established pair of Patrick Roberts and Bradley Dack. Aji Alese also made his welcome comeback from injury, drawing huge roars from the Stadium of Light crowd when he quickly launched into and won won two tackles.

Dack almost had side level with just under twenty minutes to go when a cross from the right was flicked into his path, his firm header crashing off the crossbar and hitting O’Leary on the way out. Though they’d been nowhere near as dangerous in the second half, Sunderland still looked the more likely heading into the last 20 minutes of the game.

SUNDERLAND KEEP PUSHING - BUT CAN’T MAKE THE BREAKTHROUGH

Sunderland carved open another big opening when Clarke, whose return had unsurprisingly made a big difference the home side’s attacking threat, drove through the heart of the pitch and all of the way into the Bristol City box. He couldn’t quite find the moment to release Roberts as he broke into the box and instead played the pass left to Jobe. The forward needed just too long to get the shot away, driving an effort into the legs of O’Leary who made another decent stop.

Though Bristol City had offered very little in possession throughout the game, they had a couple of half chances in the final ten minutes that they could perhaps have done more with. Hume was caught in possession deep in his own half but Pring overran the ball in his left-back position and couldn’t cross for this waiting team-mates. Substitute Cornick then had an effort well blocked by Hume as the game rather fizzles out into a draw.

A RESPONSE TO MONDAY BUT A FRUSTRATING RESULT IN THE END

Mike Dodds had certainly had a response from his Sunderland players from the dismal showing against Blackburn Rovers on Monday, particularly in a first half where they won the vast majority of second balls and did more than enough to take the lead. The second half was a closer affair and at times a pretty difficult watch, with neither team able to produce the quality needed to find a winner.

The Black Cats had undoubtedly been the better side and that Max O’Leary was the runaway candidate for player of the match told its own story.

Sunderland XI: Patterson; Hume, O’Nien, Ballard, Hjelde (Alese, 65); Neil, Ekwah; Rigg (Roberts, 65), Aouchiche (Dack, 58), Clarke; Jobe

Subs: Bishop, Pembele, Hemir, Burstow, Mundle, Styles

Bristol City: O’Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Roberts, Pring; James, Knight; Sykes (Williams, 65), Twine (Cornick, 77), Mehmeti (McCrorie, 45); Wells (Conway, 65)

Subs: Bajic, Cornick, King, Knight-Lebel, Mebude

Bookings: Hume, 61 Pring, 70

Attendance: 40,298