I just watched Sunderland's draw with Wolves - here's why it left me with mixed emotions
Sunderland were held to a 1-1 draw by Wolves at Molineux on Saturday afternoon
This was a point that will leave Sunderland with conflicted emotions, to put it mildly.
To take something back to the north east having played the best part of 70 minutes with ten men is not to be sniffed at, and they will take encouragement from the fact that they were arguably the better side for the final hour. For much of that spell, they genuinely looked the more likely to snatch a winner.
And yet. Such was their control of the game when Dan Ballard was shown a red card for a hair pull midway through the first half, and such was the difficulty that Wolves found to break them down even with a numerical advantage, the feeling will be that a golden opportunity to seal three points has passed them by.
After the heavy defeat to Nottingham Forest a week previous, Le Bris responded by bringing Reinildo back into the starting XI and moving Enzo Le Fee infield. That meant Trai Hume shuffling back across to the right-hand side, reprising his wide role in front of Nordi Mukiele from earlier in the season.
The opening exchanges were in truth pretty sedate fare, Wolves offering a threat on the break but lacking quality in the final third when they got there, more often than not down their left flank. When Sunderland won possession the hosts dropped quickly into their shape and to begin with, the Black Cats were struggling to open them up. It didn't appear to have the makings of a classic but Sunderland were utterly ruthless when the opportunity presented, pouncing on some slack play in midfield to win a corner when Sadiki slid in Brobbey and his shot was deflected over the bar. From the following corner Granit Xhaka whipped a perfect cross into the heart of the box, where Mukiele had escaped the attentions of his marker and was able to head home.
Sunderland looked in control but the game was turned on its head less than ten minutes later when the VAR team advised Paul Tierney to check the monitor. Tierney watched the replays and ruled that Dan Ballard had 'clearly' pulled the hair of Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare, showing the defender a red card for violent conduct that will rule the defender out for the rest of the campaign. It was actually the Black Cats who went closest in the immediate aftermath of the goal, Chemsdine Talbi getting an excellent opportunity to shoot as he cut inside but firing straight at Bentley in the Wolves goal.
From there Wolves dominated the rest of the half as you would expect, though they struggled to create clear chances. More often than not they relied on set pieces or crosses to Arokodare, and apart from one or two dangerous moments the Black Cats looked comfortable. No surprise, then, that Rob Edwards made an attacking substitution at the break to introduce Rodrigo Gomes.
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Wolves came out after the break with more purpose, Mosquera missing two decent opportunities in the box and Hume making one excellent block from Adam Armstrong,. The pressure was building, though, and the hosts got their equaliser when a corner was swung in towards the back post. Sunderland wanted a foul on Sadiki but it wasn’t given and Bueno rose highest to head into the back of the net. With over half an hour still to play, getting something from the game looked a tall order for Sunderland.
Their response was good, though Roefs had to be alert to make a strong save from Mane’s long-range shot the visitors were starting to see a lot more of the ball and were getting into decent areas on the break. They almost snatched a second when Wolves dallied on the ball and Le Fee slid in Xhaka, his effort from the edge of the area just wide of the near post.
A triple substitution from Le Bris brought more energy to the Sunderland ranks and the howls of derision from home fans as Edwards made an unpopular substitution spoke volumes. Chants of ‘boring’ came from the home stands as Wolves laboured.
Roefs made a strong save from Armstrong’s near-post header but it was an even contest in spite of the red, Diarra twice volleying wide from relatively promising positions. Sunderland did have to survive one big late chance to take the point, Arokodare bundling over the bar from a matter of yards after Armstrong’s flick-on. On balance of play, though, Sunderland deserved their point.