Sunderland 2-2 West Ham: Black Cats denied by Hammers comeback
Dick Advocaat's men led 2-0 at half-time but
goals from Carl Jenkinson and Dimitri Payet
denied the home side a much needed three points
Jeremain Lens scored and was sent-off as
Sunderland squandered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2
with West Ham at the Stadium of Light.
Lens and Steven Fletcher put the home side two
goals in front inside 22 minutes but Carl Jenkinson
pulled a goal back before Dimitri Payet levelled on
the hour mark to complete the comeback.
The result extends West Ham's unbeaten run to
five Premier League games, while Sunderland are
still without their first win of the season heading
into the international break.
The Black Cats struggled to get out of their own
half in the early stages as West Ham dominated in
midfield, but were ahead after 10 minutes.
A well-worked set piece saw John O'Shea draw
defenders away from Fletcher, who connected
sweetly with Yann M'Vila's low free-kick to score
only his third goal for Sunderland in 2015.
West Ham briefly threatened when Manuel Lanzini
ran unchallenged through midfield to shoot
wide. But Sunderland regained the upper hand and
the second goal came courtesy of a sublime piece
of finishing from Lens.
West Ham surrendered possession at the back,
and M'Vila played in the Dutchman, who beat
Adrian with an exquisite chip that bounced in off
the underside of the crossbar to send the Stadium
of Light into raptures.
Two goals in 12 minutes, after a season that had
previously yielded only six, put the wind very
much in Sunderland's sails, and both Fletcher and
O'Shea forced good saves from Adrian to keep the
scoreline down.
With half-time approaching, Fletcher and Ola
Toivonen pieced together a sequence of
quick passes that should have delivered another
goal-of-the-week contender, but Fabio Borini was
a foot wide of the target as he failed to round off a
wonderful move.
Having done virtually everything right in the
opening 45 minutes, Sunderland conceded on the
stroke of half-time as Victor Moses crossed for
Jenkinson, who slammed the ball home from the
middle of the box.
Within 10 minutes of the restart, the momentum
shifted further in the Hammers' favour when Lens
was sent off for a second bookable offence after
he clattered Winston Reid with a two-footed
challenge from behind.
It took only two minutes for West Ham to draw
level, Costel Pantilimon parrying Lanzini's
powerful 20-yard drive to the feet of Payet, who
gratefully buried his fourth goal of the season from
close range.
It ought to have been 10 against 10 when Mark
Noble bodychecked Borini when on a yellow card
but referee Neil Swarbrick opted to keep his cards
in his pocket.
The closing stages saw both sides push for a
winner and Lanzini twice tested Pantilimon, but
the goalkeeper managed to avoid further errors
and Sunderland ground out a draw that moves
them off the foot of the Premier League table.
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