Sunderland AFC 3-0 West Ham
by Roger Domeneghetti
at the Stadium of Light

IT’S like they’ve never been away. A clean sheet, three goals and three points; Sunderland’s first Premier League game since May 2017 couldn’t have gone much better.

When the fixture list came out, this was a not unwelcome first game for The Black Cat, at home against an ageing side in need of reinforcements, which struggled last season. 

It would provide an early benchmark: an opportunity to see whether the £120 million invested over the summer was money well spent. On this early evidence, the answer is a clear Yes.

Led by the experienced Granit Xhaka and feeding off the energy of a raucous home crowd, Regis Le Bris’s team featuring seven summer signings produced a performance of genuine quality.

The first half was cagey, West Ham dominating possession and having the best chance, El-Hadji Malick Diouf’s shot cleared off the line by Dan Ballard. Yet, their hosts never seemed particularly troubled.

The second half was a different affair. West Ham seemed to withdraw into themselves, Sunderland grew into the game, and despite the array of new players it was their play-off heroes who made the difference.

With just under half an hour to play, the deadlock was broken by one of Sunderland’s (comparative) old boys, Eliezer Mayenda rising to head Omar Alderete’s cross beyond Mads Hermansen. Cue bedlam in the stands.

Twelve minutes later their lead was doubled with almost replica fashion, Ballard beating Lucas Paqueta to Simon Adingra’s cross and heading home at the same end as his play-off semi-final winner. Both goals had been all to easy. The basics deserting The Hammers.

The visitors exerted a brief, late period of pressure but it came to naught. Sunderland countered, Xhaka picking out Wilson Isidor who drove forward before cutting inside and slotting past Hermansen.

Throughout the game, Sunderland players exhorted the crowd to make more noise, a clear indication that they recognise that the supporters can play their own part in this campaign. So it was that at the final whistle, Isidor and Mayenda lingered on the pitch to lead the the richly deserved celebrations.

Sunderland will face better teams, have tougher days. However, if they can maintain these standards they will not only pick up points against the teams around them but also nick a few against tougher opposition. For West Ham, by contrast, it could be a long, difficult season.