Hull’s Gastón Ramírez ensures Steve Bruce enjoys his Sunderland return

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/dec/26/sunderland-hull-city-premier-league-match-report

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Steve Bruce can probably approach the new year with a measure of cautious optimism after Hull City won their first Premier League game in 11 attempts.

By way of added bonuses, this much longed-for victory not only came at the expense of the club which sacked him a little over three years ago but at the end of a week which saw Bruce’s assistant Steve Agnew defect to Middlesbrough and the defender Paul McShane air his grievances in public.

“After that terrible start it would have been very easy for us to capitulate,” said Bruce. “But instead the best team won at a canter, it was total domination from us in the second half.”

Things began deceptively well for a Sunderland side who negated last Sunday’s major stride forward at Newcastle by taking two sizeable steps back towards a potential relegation struggle.

After scoring the 90th minute winner in the Tyne-Wear derby, Adam Johnson delighted in giving Gus Poyet’s team a first-minute lead. Only 30 seconds had passed when the winger intercepted Curtis Davies’s shockingly slapdash backpass before slipping an angled, close range, shot beyond the appalled goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

If confirmation were needed that travelling fans had bigger things to worry about than the club cheekily changing its official Facebook page to Hull Tigers it seemed to have arrived.Across in the technical area, Bruce briefly covered his face with his hands. Memories of his painful exit here in November 2011 must have come flooding back as he was treated to a selection of “Geordie Bastard” jibes from a less than adoring former public.

A net spend of around £40m during 2014 has recently been used a stick to beat him with at the KC Stadium but the Hull manager’s decision to take Gastón Ramírez on loan from Southampton may be finally paying dividends.

Ramírez’s equaliser altered the afternoon’s complexion beyond recognition. After collecting David Meyler’s pass and dodging John O’Shea the Uruguayan curled a left foot shot beyond Costel Pantilimon from outside the area.

Pantilimon – who got down to block but watched in horror as the ball bounced over him – looked furious and his ill temper spread to his team-mates as Sunderland saw two handball penalty appeals against Alex Bruce and Stephen Quinn rejected. “I think the referee showed common sense,” said Bruce senior.

Perhaps distracted by their collective sense of grievance, Poyet’s players were caught cold when, early in the second half, Ramírez justified another chunk of his loan fee by delivering a deft near-post corner which James Chester headed, gratefully, past Pantilimon.

As Sunderland’s frustration manifested itself in a series of niggly fouls – typified by Steven Fletcher’s yellow card for a centre-circle challenge on Quinn – Hull, rather startlingly, morphed into a slick passing machine.

Aware his side were struggling to retain possession, Poyet replaced Jordi Gómez and Ricardo Álvarez with Emmanuele Giaccherini and Jozy Altidore. Back after a lengthy, injury induced, lay off Giaccherini showed off some lovely touches but it was not to be his day.

Instead a visiting substitute, Nikica Jelavic, enjoyed the last word, dropping a shoulder before watching his shot elude Pantilimon. “A strange game, very disappointing after the derby,” said Poyet, torn between blaming the referee and his own players. “We’ve a few issues at the moment, a few problems, especially at the back, but there are no excuses.”

Sunderland (4-1-4-1): Pantilimon; Vergini (sub Buckley 83), Coates, O’Shea, Jones; Cattermole; Álvarez (sub Altidore 61), Larsson, Gomez (sub Giaccherini 61), Johnson; Fletcher

Subs not used: Mannone, Brown, Bridcutt, Rodwell.

Hull City (3-5-2): McGregor; Chester, Bruce, Davies; Elmohamady, Meyler, Quinn, Brady (sub Ince 87), Rosenior; Ramírez (sub Sagbo 77), Aluko (Jelavic 87)

Subs not used: Harper, Figueroa, Hernandez, Maguire

Referee: A Marriner

Man of the match: Gastón Ramírez