Kevin Phillips slams Melker Ellborg after Luke O'Nien incident as Sunderland lose against Port Vale in FA Cup

Sunderland’s FA Cup fifth-round trip to Port Vale brought together two clubs whose meetings have been relatively rare but often memorable.

The Black Cats arrived at Vale Park aiming to reach the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in more than a decade, while Port Vale were looking to cause an upset against Premier League opposition on one of the biggest occasions in their recent history.

History favoured Sunderland heading into the tie. The Wearsiders have won 10 of the previous 23 meetings between the sides, with nine draws and four defeats, including FA Cup clashes stretching back to 1936 and 1962. More recently, Sunderland supporters may recall the Black Cats’ victory at Vale Park in the FA Cup in 2018.

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With Sunderland enjoying an impressive campaign following promotion to the Premier League, the competition offered another opportunity to extend what has already been a memorable season. Here are the moments you may have missed before, during and after Sunderland’s FA Cup clash with Port Vale at Vale Park:

Régis Le Bris opts for Mayenda over Isidor once again

Régis Le Bris made two changes to his Sunderland side for the FA Cup fifth-round clash with Port Vale on Sunday lunchtime. Despite injuries and suspensions leaving the Black Cats with a threadbare squad - with several Under-21 players named among the substitutes - the Sunderland head coach stuck to his principle of naming the strongest XI available.

Omar Alderete came into the side to make his first appearance in this season’s FA Cup, partnering Dan Ballard at the heart of defence. Sunderland also took a cautious approach with Granit Xhaka, with the influential midfielder named on the bench. There are understood to be no fresh injury concerns surrounding the 33-year-old, but the club opted to manage his workload following a hectic week and amid concerns about the condition of the Vale Park pitch.

Habib Diarra dropped into a deeper midfield role in Xhaka’s absence, while Chris Rigg returned to the starting XI. Elsewhere, Lutsharel Geertruida shifted to right-back with Luke O’Nien moving across to left-back, while Le Bris’ biggest selection call came in attack as Eliezer Mayenda was handed his third start of the week ahead of Wilson Isidor.

First-half injury worry and Luke O’Nien moment

There was an early injury scare for Sunderland inside the opening 22 minutes when Eliezer Mayenda went down clutching his back. The striker stayed on the turf for a short period and Sunderland briefly looked as though they might put the ball out of play before Mayenda eventually climbed back to his feet and continued.

Four minutes later there was a moment of pure chaos involving Luke O'Nien. Attempting to deal with a bouncing ball, the Sunderland defender almost chipped his own goalkeeper Melker Ellborg, forcing the stopper into an awkward save. The goalkeeper could only smile afterwards at the near-disaster, clearly aware of how close it had come to becoming a calamitous own goal.

Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips was less amused than Melker Ellborg by the earlier Luke O'Nien incident. Speaking on TNT Sports after the near calamity, Phillips questioned the goalkeeper’s reaction to the passback that almost resulted in an own goal. "It wasn't a laughing matter," Phillips said. "He should be turning around and having a go."

Phillips felt Ellborg should have shown more authority in the moment rather than smiling at the situation, with the pundit suggesting Sunderland’s players needed to display greater urgency during a difficult first half at Vale Park. Two minutes later Sunderland were punished. Port Vale took the lead through Newcastle United supporter Ryan Waine, who finished the move before celebrating with Alan Shearer's trademark raised arm. From Sunderland’s perspective it was a shambolic goal to concede, with Vale profiting from slack defending at a corner to put the hosts ahead.

Drama continues into second half

There were a couple of injury scares early in the second half for Sunderland. Chemsdine Talbi went down in the 50th minute holding his mouth following an off-the-ball incident and required treatment before eventually getting back to his feet. Moments later Nilson Angulo also hit the turf after a heavy challenge, though thankfully both wingers were able to continue.

Just past the hour mark Sunderland goalkeeper Ellborg had a nervy moment of his own. The stopper was booked in the 63rd minute after rushing from his area and bringing down a Port Vale attacker in what looked a cynical challenge. VAR took a lengthy look at the incident to determine whether the yellow card should be upgraded to a red for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, but the on-field decision ultimately stood.

Credit to Port Vale after FA Cup shock

That was perhaps the first time this season Sunderland’s performance levels have prompted genuine frustration and disappointment. Too many players appeared to coast through the contest and, in the end, it proved a massive missed opportunity to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Le Bris’ side were second best across the afternoon and ultimately left embarrassed by the result. Credit must go to Port Vale, who were the better side on the day and fully deserved their victory. Any suggestion that the pitch played a decisive role would feel like a poor excuse given Sunderland’s overall display.

Your next Sunderland read: James Copley: Sunderland’s 40-point season sets up biggest test yet for Régis Le Bris and Florent Ghisolfi