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Sunderland left in trouble by Yannick Bolasie’s Crystal Palace hat-trick Sunderland left in trouble by Yannick Bolasie’s Crystal Palace hat-trick
(about 1 hour later)
The last time Alan Pardew faced Sunderland he ended the afternoon ashen faced and speaking of deep hurt. It was late December and a fourth straight defeat against his then north-east neighbours quite possibly influenced the then Newcastle United manager’s decision to defect to Crystal Palace in the new year. The last time Alan Pardew faced Sunderland he ended the afternoon ashen-faced and speaking of deep hurt. It was late December and a fourth straight defeat against his then north-east neighbours quite possibly helped provoke the Newcastle United manager’s defection to Crystal Palace in the new year.
Pardew’s Palace gameplan was devised with revenge in mind but even he could not have dared to dream it would provide him with such a near-perfect second half. Thanks to a hat-trick from the fabulous Yannick Bolasie, Palace’s ascent of the table continued as a thoroughly chastened Sunderland were reminded that their latest skirmish with relegation is far from over. Pardew’s Palace gameplan here was devised with revenge in mind but even he could not have dared to dream it would precipitate such a near-perfect second half. Thanks to a hat-trick from the fabulous Yannick Bolasie, Palace’s impressive ascent of the table continued as a thoroughly chastened Sunderland were reminded that their latest skirmish with relegation is far from over.
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Well before the end the ground had largely emptied but those who remained to the bitter end booed Dick Advocaat’s side off at the end of a game which had begun deceptively brightly. Well before the end the ground had largely emptied but those who remained to the bitter end booed Dick Advocaat’s side off at the end of a day which began deceptively brightly for the home team.
The first choruses of “Lee, Lee Cattermole,” came shortly after kick-off. Fresh from thoroughly subduing Moussa Sissoko in last Sunday’s 1-0 win against Newcastle United here, Lee Cattermole was once again scything into tackles and calibrating Sunderland’s passing. By tea-time, though, Sunderland’s limitations had been thoroughly exposed by the pace, movement and sheer workrate of a Palace side apparently reborn under Pardew’s tutelage.
Advocaat’s side were clearly benefiting from their new manager’s decision to liberate Cattermole from the extremely deep sitting, quasi sweeping role he had filled under Gus Poyet. Good as he was in that job, Sunderland’s best player is much more effective now he has been offered licence to surge into opposition territory once more. “Excellent,” he said. “We were almost unplayable in the second half. No disrespect to Sunderland but the scoreline slightly flatters them. We’re a dangerous team and our front quartet were irresistible at times.”
If only he was a little more disciplined at times Cattermole would surely be in the England squad. This enduring flaw in his make-up dictated it was no surprise when, partway through the first half, he collected his latest yellow card for pulling Bolasie back after Palace’s increasingly influential attacking midfielder had succeeded in dispossessing him. It might, just might, have been a little different had Lee Cattermole not picked up a typically silly first-half booking for pulling back Bolasie. Fresh from thoroughly subduing Moussa Sissoko in last Sunday’s 1-0 win against Newcastle United, Cattermole had started by scything into tackles, calibrating Sunderland’s passing and surging deep into opposition territory.
It was no coincidence that Cattermole needing to watch his step coincided with a marked improvement on Palace’s part. Indeed, that booking arguably proved pivotal to the home team’s subsequent collapse. Advocaat certainly had reason to be grateful that, a little earlier, the referee had looked leniently on Jack Rodwell when he lunged in on James McArthur. It was potentially a red card but Anthony Taylor opted for yellow, thereby allowing one of the better games to have taken place at the Stadium of Light for some time – to put things in context there have been some real shockers in recent months – to unfold in intriguingly absorbing fashion. If only he was a little more disciplined at times Cattermole would surely be in the England squad. This enduring flaw in his make-up dictated that few were surprised when, partway through the first half, he collected his latest yellow card in the wake of Bolasie dispossessing him.
Yet despite some fine attacking approach play from Palace’s Bolasie and Jason Puncheon as well as Sunderland’s Connor Wickham – a real menace on the left of Advocaat’s front three – neither goalkeeper was exactly over-stretched during a first half much more about clever containment than penalty-area precision. It was no coincidence that Cattermole – later replaced by Liam Bridcutt as his frustration threatened to boil over – needing to watch his step prefaced a marked improvement on Palace’s part. Goodness knows what might have happened had the referee not looked leniently on Jack Rodwell when he lunged in on James McArthur, Anthony Taylor merely booking Sunderland’s midfielder rather than issuing an arguably deserved red card.
If the game’s flow was hardly helped by far too many niggly fouls there were several excellent defensive cameos. With Palace doing an excellent job of isolating Jermain Defoe, 43 minutes had passed before Julián Speroni was required to save the afternoon’s first shot on target – a Steven Fletcher volley unleashed following Patrick van Aanholt’s fine cross. If the first-half flow was hardly helped by far too many niggly fouls, the reasons for Advocaat to worry were gradually mounting. No matter that 43 minutes had passed before Steven Fletcher’s volley produced the first shot on target, Bolasie and Jason Puncheon were stretching the Dutchman’s defence while Pardew’s backline had succeeded in isolating Jermain Defoe.
Although his backline were frequently pulled this way and that by Bolasie and Puncheon and assorted visiting shots were variously blocked and cleared, Costel Pantilimon’s most notable first-half moment saw the home goalkeeper receive a bloody nose after Scott Dann went in rather over exuberantly on him. Deceivingly, in Costel Pantilimon’s most notable first-half moment the home goalkeeper received a bloody nose after a Scott Dann challenge but far worse was to follow for the Romanian.
Pantilimon’s next moment in the spotlight featured the Romanian picking the ball out of the back of the net early in the second half after he was beaten by Glenn Murray’s header in the wake of a Bolasie cross being deflected to the far post. The second half had barely begun before Pantilimon was picking the ball out of the net after being beaten by Glenn Murray’s header in the wake of Bolasie’s cross being helpfully deflected to the far post.
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With the previously outstanding John O’Shea suddenly succumbing to some alarming wobbles, Sunderland appeared to have regressed to their old, pre-Advocaat selves during the interval. With Santiago Vergini and John O’Shea suddenly succumbing to some alarming wobbles, Sunderland appeared to have regressed to their bad old selves. During the interval Pardew had presumably instructed Wilfried Zaha to target Patrick Van Aanholt because, by now, Advocaat’s previously assured left back was struggling horribly too.
They fell further behind when Murray flicked on a long diagonal pass and Bolasie squeezed a shot beneath Pantilimon and their surrender seemed complete when another punt forward concluded with the DR Congo international holding off O’Shea before showing off stellar technique in chipping the ball over the keeper. Sunderland fell further behind when Murray flicked on a long diagonal pass and Bolasie squeezed a shot between Pantilimon’s legs. Their surrender was confirmed when another punt forward concluded with the game’s outstanding individual holding off O’Shea before showing off stellar technique in chipping the keeper.
The Ireland centre-half’s misery deepened when Murray bullied him out of possession, permitting Bolasie to round Pantilimon and complete a richly deserved hat-trick. No matter that he stumbled as he shaped to shoot, Advocaat’s defence proved powerless to prevent the scorer recovering, extending his right boot and watching the ball hit the back of the net once again. The Ireland centre-half’s misery deepened when Murray bullied him out of possession, permitting Bolasie to round Pantilimon and complete a richly deserved hat-trick. No matter that Bolasie stumbled as he shaped to shoot, Advocaat’s defence proved powerless to prevent the scorer recovering, extending his right boot and watching the ball hit the back of the net once again.
With Wickham’s late volleyed goal no consolation to anyone connected with Sunderland, Pardew was free to assume centre stage at the final whistle, striding onto the pitch and saluting Palace’s rightly ecstatic travelling support. With Connor Wickham’s late volleyed goal offering Sunderland no consolation, Pardew assumed centre stage at the final whistle, striding on to the pitch and saluting Palace’s rightly ecstatic travelling support.
“I don’t like to criticise players but that was not defending of the highest order, we couldn’t handle Palace’s pace,” said Advocaat. “We didn’t create chances, none at all. That’s a concern when you play with three strikers. We must improve. I knew when I started it would be very difficult but it’s clear some players are playing at their limit.”