Chris Mepham meets Borja Sainz after spit-gate and £12k fine - moments missed during Norwich vs Sunderland

Sunderland returned to action at Norwich City at Carrow Road after back-to-back wins against Millwall and West Brom in the Championship - and there was plenty to talk about.

Sunderland kept their third clean sheet in a row but were held to a draw by Norwich City on Tuesday night. The hosts dominated the first half and the Black Cats were lucky to be level at the break but improved considerably throughout the second half.

Here, we take a look at the key moments you may have missed before, during and after Sunderland took on Norwich City at Carrow Road:

Chris Mepham meets Borja Sainz again

The match between Norwich City and Sunderland marked the first time ​Black Cats defender Chris Mepham came up against Canaries attacker Borja Sainz since an unsavoury incident at the Stadium of Light back in December.

During the reverse fixture last year, Sainz was involved in an incident where he spat at Mepham in the 74th minute. The act went unnoticed during the game, but subsequent reviews led to Sainz being charged by the Football Association.

The Norwich City attacker admitted to the offence, resulting in a six-match suspension and a £12,000 fine. Sainz publicly apologised, expressing deep regret and acknowledging his actions were out of character. He extended apologies to Mepham, his teammates, coaching staff and fans. ​Both players started the game at Carrow Road on Tuesday evening.

Ex-Sunderland man Callum Doyle misses game

Callum Doyle missed Norwich City’s game against Sunderland at Carrow Road through injury., The centre-back joined the Black Cats on loan from Manchester City ahead of the 2021–22 season, when he was just 17 years old. Despite his age, he quickly became a key figure in Lee Johnson’s side.

The defender made 44 appearances in all competitions and played an important role in helping Sunderland secure promotion from League One via the play-offs — including a solid display off the bench at Wembley during Sunderland’s 2–0 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the final.

Since leaving Sunderland, Doyle has enjoyed loan stints at Coventry City and Leicester City before making the move to Carrow Road on a temporary deal last summer. As things stand, the 21-year-old is due to return to parent club Manchester City at the end of the current season.

Régis Le Bris makes four changes and starts Tommy Watson

Régis Le Bris made four changes to his Sunderland side to face Norwich City on Tuesday night. Tommy Watson was handed his first start since agreeing a move to Brighton & Hove Albion, with the 19-year-old coming into the team as Patrick Roberts dropped out.

Jobe Bellingham was absent with a minor injury, with Sunderland taking no risks ahead of the play-off campaign. That saw Alan Browne move back into midfield and a start for Milan Aleksic. Leo Hjelde slotted in at left-back, and Trai Hume moved to right-back.

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Eliezer Mayenda replaced Wilson Isidor up front, with the striker dropping to the bench. Ahead of Tuesday night’s clash Le Bris made clear that he would use Watson despite his imminent move to the South Coast and that turned out to be the case against Norwich City.

Sunderland qualify for the Championship play-offs

Sunderland’s draw against Norwich City at Carrow Road meant the Black Cats’ place in the play-offs was mathematically secured. With potential rivals Middlesbrough and Coventry set to play each other before the regular season ends, a point was enough for Le Bris’ side to qualify for the post-season.

The Black Cats remain nine points off the automatic spots with five games left to play, a deficit that feels unlikely that Le Bris’ men will be able to overcome.