Sunderland 1 Reading 0: Highlights as Patrick Roberts goal moves Cats up Championship table
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After a pretty uneventful first half, the Black Cats showed more attacking intent after the break.
Patrick Roberts then scored the game’s only goal six minutes from time after cutting in from the right flank.
Here’s how the game played out:
RECAP: Sunderland 1 (Roberts, 84) Reading 0
Key Events
- Sunderland XI: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, Batth, Alese, Neil (O’Nien, 75), Michut (Ba, 81), Roberts, Amad, Clarke (Bennette, 81), Gelhardt (Lihadji, 75)
- Subs: Bass, O’Nien, Bennette, Lihadji, Ba, Pritchard, Ekwah
- Reading XI: Lumley, Yiadom, Sarr, Mbengue, Baba (Meite, 87), Hoilett (Dann, 78), McIntyre (Azeez, 87), Hendrick, Ince, Long (Meite, 78), Carroll
- Subs: Bouzanis, Dann, Guinness-Walker, Fornah, Azeez, Casadei, Meite
Mowbray in his pre-match programme notes
“The lads have trained well this week and we’re looking forward to resuming our league campaign – it’s another good opportunity to claim three points.
“It’s great to have two senior players back in the squad in Alex Pritchard and Luke O’Nien, and Joe Gelhardt is raring to go in front of our home support for the first time.
“Reading had a strong start to the season and we know the threat they possess, but we’ll always try to play on the front foot and be aggressive, especially at home.
“We have to play with the same energy, drive and commitment as we did against Fulham and if we do that, we are more than capable of causing the opposition problems.
“We know the supporters want to see the team fighting for the cause and the jersey, and the players are buying into that.”
Predicted line-ups
Here are our predicted line-ups for today’s match:
Predicted Sunderland XI: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, Batth, Alese, Neil, Michut, Roberts, Amad, Clarke, Gelhardt
Predicted Reading XI: Lumley, Mbengue, Holmes, McIntyre, Yiadom, Ndiaye, Hendrick, Fornah, Hoilett, Ince, Long
Paul Ince on Sunderland
Here’s what Reading boss Paul Ince has had to say about his side’s trip to the Stadium of Light.
The Royals were beaten 3-0 when the sides last met in September’s reverse fixture.
“It’s going to be a tough game for us, there will be around 40,000 fans so it’s a challenge for us. It’s not about revenge but I want us to perform a lot better than we did in the home game.
“I watched their game against Fulham and you can see they are a very good side.
“They’ve not got a lot of height but technically they have some very good players such as Patrick Roberts, Amad Diallo, Jack Clarke and Joe Gelhardt so we’ve been working this week on dealing with runners, not getting caught watching the ball or players running in behind because they are very good in those final third areas.
“With that crowd behind them, it will be a tough game.”
How Reading are shaping up
Reading have dropped to 17th in the Championship table following five league games without a win, yet they are still just four points behind Sunderland.
Striker Lucas Joao, who has scored five goals in 22 Championship appearances this season, has picked up a knee injury in training and will be assessed ahead of the fixture.
That could allow former Newcastle striker Andy Carroll to return to the starting XI following a one-match suspension for his red card against Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Reading centre-back Naby Sarr has recovered from a foot problem, yet Royals top scorer Tom Ince has been struggling with flu while Baba Rahman missed last weekend’s draw with Watford due to tonsilitis.
Ex-Sunderland midfielder Ovie Ejaria won’t face his former side because of a knee issue.
Mowbray on Reading
Here’s what Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray has had to say about today’s match.
“Reading had a fantastic start to the season and maybe we put a pin in their bubble with a positive performance and good result down there.
“They had started the season extremely well and were top of the table after seven of eight games I think.
“Every team carries a threat and Reading undoubtedly carry a threat. Paul Ince is by nature a winner and we have to be mindful that his teams are going to come and give us a tough test.
“We have to be at our best, move the ball around as quick as we can and penetrate, be on their backline, and see how we get on.”
Team news
We’ll start with the Sunderland team news.
Forward Joe Gelhardt is available again after he was cup-tied for Wednesday’s FA Cup defeat against Fulham.
Alex Pritchard came off the bench against The Cottagers and may now be ready to start after recovering from a calf issue.
Dennis Cirkin remains unavailable after suffering a concussion against Millwall last weekend, while Lynden Gooch is still expected to miss out with a hip flexor issue.
Ross Stewart, Corry Evans and Elliot Embleton remain out with long-term injuries.
It’s Matchday!
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Sunderland’s Championship fixture against Reading.
The Black Cats start the day just two points off the play-off places, yet the table remains extremely tight.
We’ll have live updates, analysis and reaction from the Stadium of Light.
Stick around and refresh the page for live updates.