Well, it was never pretty but Blues battled their way to a comfortable win which never looked on the cards early doors. To be fair, Blues started at a high tempo but it was hectic stuff and I don’t think our ‘playmaker’ Barry Ferguson touched the ball in the first quarter, as it whizzed from end to end. Sunderland certainly piled up the corner count and Ben Foster and Roger Johnson had to be at their best as Blues defence held firm.
Almost out of the blue, Blues took the lead when Seb Larsson squeezed the ball home after a mix up of (Arsenal type) Carling Cup proportions when the defender and keeper failed to communicate. Although the Mackems looked a bit disconsolate as they trooped off the pitch at halftime, they started the second period a bit too brightly for my liking and penned Blues back for long periods. Again Blues defence were superb and although it might seem a little unfair to single anybody out, Roger Johnson was quite simply outstanding whilst Stephen Carr oozed both class and composure when needed. This was particularly impressive when one considers the outstanding Sunderland forwards that are Wellbeck and Gyan.
Midway through the second period, Super Kev was looking more like Ordinary Kev although to be fair he was given little service in a hectic match where the ball was in the air for long periods. However Cameron battled manfully and the midfield also worked tremendously hard but it still needed a flash of individual brilliance provided by Craig Gardiner to put us two up. For the first time I can remember, it was cigar time as Blues kept their two goal cushion until the end – in fact Matt Derbyshire should have made it three but that would have been verging on the greedy.
After the match I happened to speak to a Sunderland fan who said that with the money spent by Brucie he had expected more and said that supporters were beginning to doubt Brucie’s tactical acumen – a comment that gave me a sense of déjà vu from a few seasons ago.
We’ve undoubtedly got some hard games to go but I think four to six points should do it and in my estimation to get them we will probably need at least one point from our travels…not easy when it’s Anfield ,Stamford Bridge, St James Park and White Hart Lane. Let’s hope that Liverpool and Spurs’ European aspirations are decide either way before we play them.
