Sunderland 2 Portsmouth 0
Roy's record-breakers reached 20 points yesterday – the highest Premiership total the club has managed in six years – with a result which gave perhaps the clearest sign yet that they're not going the way of those abject relegation sides of 2003 and 2006.
True, the win leaves Sunderland still in the bottom three, but not only was this a genuinely impressive performance from Keane's men, it also leaves them level on points with 15th-placed Bolton and a win away from Reading in 13th.
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It's hotting up at the bottom and though Sunderland face a tough trip to in-form Spurs this Saturday, the win yesterday puts them back in the race and the manner of victory holds out hope that a far better second half of the season beckons.
Sunderland have been searching for a saviour over the last few depressing months and yesterday they found two obvious candidates.
Kieran Richardson scored both goals while his former Manchester United team-mate, Jonny Evans, helped the Wearsiders keep a rare clean sheet on what was his first ever Premiership appearance.
But if you were holding out for a hero then you need look no further than targetman Kenwyne Jones.
The big man is such an important player for the club right now that the talisman was patched up like El Cid and sent out to spearhead his side.
He was substituted half-a-dozen minutes before full-time – 10 minutes after being reduced to virtual walking pace with his aching knee – but by then not only had he set up Sunderland's opening goal but he'd been a menace to Portsmouth throughout.
His efforts were typical of a more aggressive and industrious approach overall from Sunderland which paid dividends as the Wearsiders halted a remarkable run of nine away wins out of 10 by Portsmouth.
The Wearsiders made five changes to the side which lost 3-0 to Wigan in the cup and all were aimed at improving the team – Jones returning up front, Dwight Yorke coming back from suspension, Liam Miller returning to the side with Anthony Stokes given a start and Paul McShane being dropped as Dean Whitehead's return to right-back allowed Nyron Nosworthy to resume his much feted partnership with Evans in the heart of defence.
Portsmouth made four changes but all theirs were enforced, having lost key players to the African Cup of Nations while having to cope with injuries to Glen Johnson and Sean Davis: "Too many quality players to be without," reflected Pompey boss Harry Redknapp afterwards.
Redknapp's profile has never been higher this week after a 20million offer from Tyneside over four years to boss the Magpies and that interest was reflected in the scrum of photographers surrounding his dug-out before kick off.
But the closest Redknapp is coming to Newcastle in the near future – having turned Mike Ashley down – is Sunderland and his lukewarm attitude to the North East could only have been reinforced last night as he headed home with a defeat which severely dented Portsmouth's aspirations of qualifying for Europe this season.
It might all have been so different if Pompey's top scorer, Benjani, had made the most of a great chance in only the seventh minute.
Miller had clumsily given away a free-kick on the right of goal which Pedro Mendes pumped diagonally towards the far post where Hermann Hreidarsson rose to head back across goal towards the unmarked striker.
Benjani was favourite to score, but he dragged his shot across the face of goal from the edge of the six-yard box and Portsmouth never had as good an opening again before the break.
The opportunity had come against the run of play which had seen Jones make his presence felt immediately and Stokes produce his side's first shot on target in the fifth minute – a tentative effort which David James saved without difficulty.
Sunderland played with growing confidence, but Portsmouth were producing the more convincing efforts on goal early on and, in the 17th minute, the visitors' most skilful player, Niko Kranjcar, crashed a rising shot goalwards from the left which keeper Craig Gordon did well to block.
Gradually Sunderland asserted themselves and their 4-1-4-1 formation helped – Yorke sitting in front of the back four where his passing and tackling could shine, with the energy of Miller and Richardson helping out in front of him; Jones playing the lone frontman but being aided by Daryl Murphy and Stokes on the flanks pushing on when the home-team was in possession.
Stokes and Murphy both had half-chances before Sunderland finally took the lead in the 33rd minute with a memorable goal.
Evans pumped a long ball forward down the left for Jones to chase and Sol Campbell – who has made more defensive clearances than any other player in his side this season – thought he had done enough when he shoulder-charged the Sunderland striker off the ball.
But Jones kept on going, chasing a lost cause and, to Campbell's surprise just managed to keep the ball in before adding insult to injury by jinking back across the backtracking England captain and passing a ball inside to Richardson at the near post.
The midfielder had a lot to do still but kept his cool brilliantly as he dragged a low left-foot shot across James and into the inside netting at the far post.
It was a great strike and it opened the game up – Pompey failing to take advantage of an immediate mix-up between Gordon and Nosworthy which led to a corner – before Jones instantly earned a corner from Campbell at the other end of the pitch.
Twice in the game – once in the first half and then in the second – Sunderland had wonderful opportunities from through balls ruled out for offside when replays showed that both Stokes and then Murphy were onside.
But Sunderland were able to capitalise on their positive play when they scored a killer second goal just before the break.
This time, Richardson both started and finished the goal – pressuring Benjani into conceding possession in the midfield which allowed Miller to pass forward to Murphy on the edge of the Portsmouth area.
Murphy could make no progress, but Richardson, who had continued a diagonal run towards goal, picked up the ball and running across defenders shot from right to left as he held off Hreidarsson, the Sunderland man's rising right-foot shot proving too much for James – the keeper who has kept more clean sheets than any other Premiership keeper this season.
Three minutes into the second half, Richardson could have had a hat-trick after good work by Jones allowed Stokes to tee him up, but the midfielder shot narrowly over the bar from 18 yards.
He went even closer just before the hour when he tracked across goal from right to left before smashing a superb shot off James's crossbar.
Minutes before that, Benjani should probably have scored when Portsmouth counter-attacked on an excellent throw out from James which put him clean through down the left, but, with Gordon blocking him, his attempted square ball was intercepted by Evans, leaving the striker punching the post in frustration at the opportunity wasted.
They were never to threaten as dangerously again.
After the hour mark, Jones was increasingly a spent force and as the big striker faded, so did Sunderland's attacking threat.
Portsmouth presssured but without genuine threat and the Wearsiders were able to coast comfortably enough towards the close as the game largely petered out.
Evans was subbed with quarter-of-an-hour remaining suffering from paralysing cramp and Pompey centre-back Sylvain Distin went before full time with the same problem – a sign, said Keane, that both had been worked to their absolute limits by opposing strikers.
Portsmouth pumped the ball into the box late on looking for a consolation at least, but substitute Paul McShane got a desperate head to the ball and the alert Gordon punched emphatically clear on a day when no-one in the rearguard was going to let a clean sheet go to waste cheaply.
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Weather for Hartlepool
Saturday 11 February 2012
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