I’ve been around Sunderland for long enough to appreciate days like these. I said on the way to Spurs that one point from the two games would be a decent return, The we went and deserved a draw, which sort of set us up for a bit of a game today. Many of the home fans we talked to in the White Horse were less than 100% confident of a result, but even fuelled by some of the capitals more exotic beers we could not have expected what we got.

Gordon
Onouah Turner Bramble McBardsley
Rico Hendo Catts Zenden
Gyan Wellbeck

Mr and Mrs Mason had tried the shows of the West End, they’d tried the shopping experience. What they got at the match was something completely different. After Tuesday’s far better than decent showing at White Hart Lane, we’d have been forgiven for just going for a damage limitation effort. What we got was probably the most comprehensive execution of a good side that I’ve seen in forty odd years of travelling. We’d looked the better side for most of the first half anyway, then Onouah decided to waltz around the flailing Chelsea defence and get us a goal ahead – a goal worthy of any occasion, never mind against a wobbly Chelsea, and the travellers who had forked out the fortune celebrated in style.

Had not Chech been on top form, we could well have been further ahead at the break. Oh, and had the ref not decided that their defenders could welly out lad up in to the air and escape with a minor finger –wagging. As it was, we were well worth our half-time lead, and we kept the home side on the back foot from the start of the second half. You know when you’re old, and you’ve been to a few away games, and you sort of expect retribution for that 4-2 on Valentine’s Day a decade ago....but we really didn’t look like losing this one. With Zenden pulling the strings in the middle, and Hendo and Catts winning the ball and putting it about, we were without doubt the better side. Whenever Chelsea did get the ball, Turner or Bramble was there, big and strong as you like, and more than a match for Drogba on the day. Time after time, Titus was seen to take the ball away to safety, and when it went forward, we got hold of it and made good use of it. We hadn’t been that long into the second half when Gyan collected and popped away the second, and the travelling fans were celebrating like only Sunderland fans can. We were always fearful of Chelsea getting one back, but in reality that was never on. When Wellbeck latched onto a woeful Ashley Cole backpass to make it 3-0 with five to go, we were in seventh heaven. We swapped Catts, Wellbeck, and Gyan for Elmo, Riveros and Steed as we ran the game down, but in truth we butchered them. Quite how we have gone for that shambles we put out up the road a fortnight since to that quite outstanding show today is a mystery to me, but Brucie deserves a medal the size of a bin lid for sorting them out.

Man of the Match - well, it was going to be Zenden, then I had a bit think. The Dutch master might have done all the necessary in the middle, but I think Wellbeck just sneaked it Defensively, we were superb. Bramble was always there, and Turner, while not pretty, missed nothing and made no mistakes. Bardsley was solid as you like, and Onouah, son of Pele, you’ve already read about. Gyan – what can I say. Bargain at whatever we paid for him, he leads the line well and always has a trick up his sleeve. And our bench - absolute quality.

Haway the Lads!

Keep the Faith

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