Sunderland 1-2 Ipswich Town - Match Report Sunday, 6th Aug 2023 19:16 Goals from Nathan Broadhead and George Hirst saw the Blues to a 2-1 opening day win against 10-man Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Broadhead gave Town the lead in first-half injury time, Hirst made it 2-0 with his first goal in the Championship eight minutes into the second half, then Trai Hume was dismissed for the Black Cats for a second bookable offence before the home side pulled one back through Dan Neil and pushed for a leveller in 13 minutes of additional time but the Blues held out for the three points. Vaclav Hladky, Janoi Donacien, Massimo Luongo and Broadhead were all handed starts for the Blues. Hladky came in for the injured Christian Walton in goal for only his second league start since Kieran McKenna took over as manager, while Donacien was at right-back with Harry Clarke suspended. Luongo was over the groin problem he picked up at Cambridge to take his place in central midfield and former Black Cats loanee Broadhead was similarly fit after suffering a quad injury against Luton. Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess were the centre-halves with Leif Davis at left-back, while skipper Sam Morsy joining Luongo in the middle of midfield. Wes Burns was on the right and Broadhead the left with Conor Chaplin behind Hirst, making his first appearance as a full-time Town player. Among the nine subs, of which five could be utilised, were summer signings Cieran Slicker, Jack Taylor and Omari Hutchinson. Among Sunderland’s starters were close season additions Jobe Bellingham as their number 10 in a 4-2-3-1 and striker Hemir, also known as Luis Semedo. The home side saw most of the ball in the opening couple of minutes with keeper Hladky making a nervous start when he misplaced a pass, gifting the ball to the Black Cats, an incident which led to a free-kick but Jack Clarke’s set piece in from the left was nodded away by Morsy. Town continued to look jittery on their return to the Championship in front of 40,000 fans, giving the ball away far too easily around their penalty area and struggling to keep hold of the ball. On 11, Dan Neil struck a shot from the edge of the box which deflected for a corner, which Morsy again cleared. Town had shown nothing as an attacking threat but in the 14th minute they almost went in front. Chaplin and Broadhead combined, the latter playing it wide to his Welsh colleague Burns on the right from where he sent over a cross which reached Davis. The Newcastle fan smashed a low shot across goal and towards the corner of the net, however, home skipper Luke O’Nien somehow cleared it off the line and out for a corner. From the flag-kick, Town went close again. After the ball had been cleared back out to the right, Donacien sent it back in and it reached Burns via Morsy. The Welshman hit a crisp low first-time left-footed shot but too close to Anthony Patterson, who claimed. Sunderland were next to threaten, Woolfenden turning behind a cross from the left after the Wearsiders had worked their way to the byline. The Black Cats should have taken the lead in the 23rd minute when Pierre Ekwah unleashed a 25-yard strike which Hladky batted away down to his left. However, the ball fell to Bellingham, who sent his first-time rebound well over the bar when he will feel he really should have done better. Moments later, Town created another opportunity, Chaplin feeding Burns on the right and the former Fleetwood man cutting inside towards Hirst, who briefly had a clear sight of goal but got the ball caught under his feet as it and Sunderland defenders arrived. The Blues were continuing to give the ball away in their own half in an uncharacteristic manner in as poor an opening spell to a game as they’ve had since McKenna took charge and had yet to have a lengthy spell in possession. However, they had looked very dangerous on the rare occasions they had had the ball in the final third. As the game moved towards the half hour, Neil struck a low effort which Hladky watched past his right post. On 32, Hume was shown the afternoon’s first yellow card for a cynical foul on Luongo as the Australian burst away from him just over halfway. Two minutes later, Town, who had started to come more into the game, went close again, Burns crossing from the right before Broadhead teed-up Chaplin, whose low shot clipped a Sunderland heel and just flew wide of the post. Burns joined Hume in referee Sam Barrott’s book in the 35th minute for a foul on Clarke, the Wales international having also committed an earlier transgression. Following the free-kick, the ball ran loose inside the Town box but it was cleared before a Sunderland player could seize upon it. The Black Cats claimed a penalty in the 41st minute when Donacien challenged Clarke on the right of the Town box. It looked shoulder to shoulder, but, as home fans appealed for a spot-kick, referee Barrott gave a free-kick to the Blues for a dive, although failed to issue a yellow card. As the fourth official announced two minutes of additional time, the Blues took the lead. Donacien sent over a long throw from the right, Burgess flicked it on and it reached Davis just outside the area on the left. The full-back struck a shot which Broadhead appeared to divert past the wrong-footed Patterson and beat the keeper to his right.
Broadhead, a former Sunderland loanee, conspicuously tempered his celebration against his old club as his teammates joined him to the left of goal with the Town support in the top tier above them. The Blues threatened again in the closing moments, Hirst having the ball taken away from him just as he looked to shoot from the edge of the box. Despite having made a very nervy and under-par start with the difference in class of opposition from League One palpable, the Blues always looked a threat on the few occasions they had had the ball in the final third. They had ridden their luck at the other end, but might well have gone in front before Broadhead’s goal, which initially looked fortuitous but was actually sharp work from the forward. Sunderland carved out the first opening of the second period in the 48th minute, Hemir working himself some space to the right of the six-yard box before being crowded out by Woolfenden, who the former Benfica man eventually fouled. On 51, Dennis Cirkin stood up a cross from the left over Davis at the far post but the left-back did enough to cause Neil to send his header looping well over. A minute later, Town doubled their lead via Hirst’s first Championship goal. After receiving the ball from Luongo in space, Broadhead played a superb ball in between two defenders for Hirst and the striker lashed his shot into the roof of the net.
Two minutes later, it was almost three. Chaplin looped an effort over Patterson from 40 yards but saw it cannon off the bar. The ball fell loose to Hirst, who was clearly bundled over by Dan Ballard as he was about to shoot into the gaping net. Referee Barrott appeared to have the whistle to his lips but seemed to play an advantage as Broadhead got onto the loose ball but the Wales international was crowded out. On 55, Neil shot too close to Hladky, who was booked for time-wasting a minute later after a tardy approach to taking a goalkick. With the game now very open, Patterson saved a 57th-minute Broadhead effort before Town manager Kieran McKenna was shown the first yellow card of his career, presumably for maintaining his protests regarding the penalty incident. A minute later, the Wearsiders swapped new boys Bellingham and Hemir for Abdoullah Ba and former Canary Alex Pritchard. On 62, Morsy was booked for a foul on Pritchard. Ten minutes later, the Black Cats were reduced to 10 men when Hume was shown his second yellow card and then a red for a trip on Davis as the full-back burst away on the left. The Northern Irishman left the field to a very muted reaction from the crestfallen home crowd. In the 73rd minute, Town swapped Broadhead, who was given a warm ovation from both sets of fans as he left the field, for Marcus Harness. Three minutes later, Hirst and Chaplin, who was making his 100th appearance for the club, made way for Freddie Ladapo and debutant Hutchinson. Cirkin shot wide for Sunderland in the 79th minute, the ball catching a Town player on its way across goal, the home side’s first chance since Neil’s header six minutes after the restart. Two minutes later, the game was held up after Donacien and Hladky collided as they collided when dealing with a cross coming into the box. Donacien was clearly hurt and the Town players showed their frustration with referee Barrott for not having stopped the game more quickly. The St Lucia international returned having undergone treatment as Sunderland, despite being a man down, continued to look for the goal which might get them back into the match. On 85, Hutchinson had a chance to make it 3-0 when sent away on the left following a Sunderland corner but his shot struck a defender and ricocheted through to Patterson with Ladapo having been in space in the middle. That miss was to prove costly a minute later when Sunderland pulled a goal back. Cirkin cut the ball over from the left and Neil turned it past Hladky at the near post.
With the Stadium of Light volume significantly upped following the goal, manager Mowbray brought on Lynden Gooch for Ekwah. In the final scheduled minute, Pritchard crossed following a free-kick on the right and Cirkin nodded wide at the far post. The fourth official indicated 13 additional minutes, the EFL having instructed referees to add more time on for stoppages in the style of the World Cup, causing another roar from the home fans, sensing a way back into a match which had looked well out of their reach. Three minutes into time added on, with Town struggling to get on the ball and under pressure, Patrick Roberts saw a volley deflect wide. In the 96th minute, the Blues swapped Donacien for Dominic Ball and Davis, who had also suffered a knock late on, for Greg Leigh. Town continued to soak up Sunderland pressure and were unable to get out of their own final third. However, on 98, Morsy won the ball in the Town box and brought it tank-like through a number of challenges before sending Ladapo away on the left of the box. The striker had Ball on his own in the middle but shot over. However, Town were beginning to regain a foothold back in the game and on 99 Harness won a corner and some respite after being found in space on the left of the area by Hutchinson. Seconds before the end of the 13 minutes of additional time, Sunderland almost levelled. The ball was floated to Neil in space on the right of the box from where he struck a shot which Hladky superbly turned onto his left post. The danger wasn’t over and Roberts had a second strike which the Czech keeper palmed away. A third effort was looped well over into the crowd as the Town players went to give Hladky a slap on the back for his vital stops. Soon after, referee Barrott blew his whistle much to the relief of the Town support after a very nervy final few minutes. The Blues had looked home and hosed - and probably would have been had they been awarded the penalty when Hirst was fouled - with the home side down to 10 men and 2-0 in front, but the Black Cats threw everything at them in the lengthy injury time and got a something to build on with their goal. The Blues were forced to dig deep in the final stages but were eventually able to see their first Championship victory since May 2019 over the line. It was far from a typical Town performance with the Blues having taken a long time to get into the game but while always looking dangerous when breaking forward with Broadhead and Hirst taking their opportunities clinically. The Blues, who were last defeated on the opening day of season in 2013, stretch their unbeaten league run to 20 games stretching back to January and can be very pleased with a win and an at times very gritty display away against tough opponents on their return to the Championship. Town are next in action at home to Bristol Rovers in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday with Stoke City, who beat Rotherham 4-1 at the bet 365 Stadium yesterday, at Portman Road in the Championship on Saturday. Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, O’Nien, Cirkin (Huggins 89), Neil, Ekwah (Gooch 87), Roberts, Bellingham (Pritchard 58), Clarke, Hemir (Ba 58). Unused: Bishop, Triantis, Batth, Rigg, Bennette. Town: Hladky, Donacien (Ball 96), Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns, Morsy, Luongo, Davis (Leigh 96), Chaplin (Hutchinson 76), Broadhead (Harness 73), Hirst. Unused: Slicker, Evans, Taylor, Jackson. Referee: Sam Barrott (West Riding). Att: 44,406.
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