Saturday
2nd April 2016,
Barclays Premier League, Stadium of Light, Kick-Off 3:00pm |
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Sunderland |
0 - 0 |
West Bromwich Albion |
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0 - 0 |
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Managers |
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Sam Allardyce |
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Tony Pulis |
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Starting XI |
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Vito Mannone |
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Ben Foster |
DeAndre Yedlin |
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Craig Dawson |
Lamine Koné |
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Gareth McAuley |
Younčs Kaboul |
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Jonny Evans |
Patrick van Aanholt |
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James Chester |
Jan Kirchhoff |
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Sandro |
Fabio Borini |
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Claudio Yacob |
Yann M'Vila |
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Craig Gardner (McClean 71) |
(c) Lee Cattermole |
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Darren Fletcher (c) |
(N'Doye 82) Wahbi Khazri |
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Saido Berahino
(Leko 78) |
Jermain Defoe |
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Salomón Rondón (Anichebe 81) |
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Substitutes |
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Billy Jones |
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Jonas Olsson |
Sebastian Larsson |
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Victor Anichebe |
Jack Rodwell |
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Boaz Myhill (gk) |
Dame N'Doye |
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James McClean |
(gk) Jordan Pickford |
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Rickie Lambert |
John O'Shea |
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Alex Pritchard |
Ola Toivonen |
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Jonathan Leko |
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Bookings |
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(foul 18) Kaboul |
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Gardner (taking free-kick too quickly 47) |
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Evans (time-wasting 88) |
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Attendance:
45,144 |
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Referee:
Roger East (Wiltshire) |
Assistant 01:
Richard West (East Riding) |
Assistant 02:
Mark Scholes (Buckinghamshire) |
Fourth Official:
James Adcock (Nottinghamshire) |
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Official Matchday
Programme |
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● Darren Fletcher
makes his 50th Albion appearance. |
● 16 year-old Jonathan Leko makes his league
debut for the Baggies. He becomes the first player born in 1999 to appear in
the Premier League. |
● Craig Dawson makes his 200th career start. |
● The game is the 150th league meeting of the
two clubs. |
MATCH REPORT
West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster
denied relegation-haunted
Sunderland the victory they craved as a first clean sheet in 18 games for Sam
Allardyce's side yielded just a single point. Foster made important saves from
Lee Cattermole, Jan Kirchhoff, two from Fabio Borini and another from Jermain
Defoe at the death as the Black Cats made most of the running, but once again
failed to profit from the opportunities they created. Tony Pulis' side offered
little going forward with home keeper Vito Mannone largely untroubled, but they
left Wearside having reached the magic 40 points and having edged their hosts
deeper into the mire following the 0-0 draw.
Sunderland went into the game
having allowed four priceless points to slip from their grasp in away games at
Southampton and Newcastle, where they led until the final few minutes, and
knowing draws will not be enough to keep them in the top flight. In the
circumstances, a home clash with a West Brom side all but mathematically assured
of its place in next season's Premier League looked like a must-win affair,
although the opening 45 minutes proved to be largely frustrating. The Black Cats
created a series of half-chances, most of which were fashioned by or fell to
Defoe, who saw a clever 10th-minute flick from Younes Kaboul's cross saved by
Foster and then drilled a 20th-minute shot across goal before seeing another
blocked by defender Gareth McAuley. However, he really should have out his side
ahead on the half-hour when Wahbi Khazri picked him out unmarked in front of
goal with a left-wing cross, but failed to make contact with the goal at his
mercy. Had the half's next best chance fallen to Defoe, Sunderland might have
gone in ahead at the break, but it was midfielder Lee Cattermole, playing in a
more advanced role than usual, who was picked out by Khazri's square ball and
his poor first touch allowed Foster to race from his line and block. For their
part, the Baggies created little of note with Mannone only momentarily worried
by defender James Chester's floated 19th-minute cross, although he might have
been more concerned had Darren Fletcher managed to collect Salomon Rondon's long
ball with a clear run to goal ahead of him eight minutes before the break.
Sunderland might have taken the
lead twice within seconds nine minutes after the break when first Foster denied
Kirchhoff with a fine reaction save after he had barged his way through from
Borini's pass, and then McAuley came to the rescue once again to block yet
another Defoe effort. Foster had to be at his best to beat away Borini's
piledriver four minutes later with the Black Cats in full flow, but he would
have been helpless had the Italian's shot from DeAndre Yedlin's 61st-minute
cross flown just inside rather than just past the post. Borini might have
snatched the win five minutes from time, but Foster was once again equal to the
task as he dived to his left to save, as he was when he stopped Defoe's strike
with hit foot with a minute remaining.
Sporting Life
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