A POINT away from home that extended an unbeaten start to the season should be sufficient to satisfy any Premier League manager, yet Swansea City’s Garry Monk was disappointed at his side’s failure to capitalise on these troubled times at Sunderland.
Swansea arrived at a club where the owner Ellis Short is under fire from fans and former players, without a point and with a head coach who is adamant that they must buy players before the transfer deadline if they wish to avoid another relegation struggle.
Sunderland’s response was to pick up their first point thanks to a goal from Jermain Defoe and earn a good reception from supporters at half-time — seconds after they went behind to Bafetimbi Gomis’s goal — and at the final whistle.
The owner, meanwhile, was answering his critics by insisting he is committed to the club and hopes to finance new arrivals this week. They are badly needed because, despite this point, Sunderland are woefully short of quality in several positions.
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In a rare public statement, Short said: “No one who knows me or knows anything about me would say that I have no ambition for the club. That ambition certainly has not been realised yet, but it does not mean I don’t have it.
“Secondly, the assertion that I have been unwilling to spend money to fulfil the ambitions of the club and its fans is completely wrong. Every penny that comes from TV income and other commercial activities is spent on operating the club – that is, buying players, wages, and other associated costs.
“I have never taken money out of the club. In fact, I have funded significant shortfalls each and every season. To date, this summer we have committed £21.5m in transfer fees and remain hopeful that there is still more business to be done before the window closes.”
That is what Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat wants to hear because this result has not altered his belief that new players are needed. “That will not change,” he said. “But I am very happy at the way the team responded after the last two games. You saw moments when we were a team and that’s a positive. I have a much better feeling. Swansea are a good side, but we played with the spirit we showed last year.”
Spirit, yes, but little style was evident from both teams in a first-half that was a non-event until the closing moments. Advocaat believed Sunderland should have been awarded a penalty, yet neither side truly warranted a half-time lead that Monk’s team claimed with a goal in the third minute of stoppage time.
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Kyle Naughton created it with a pass that cut out John O’Shea when Sebastian Coates failed to counter the angled run of Gomis, whose crisp finish beat goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon inside the far post.
Sunderland supporters feared the worst because their team have made a habit of conceding the first goal and have not won on the past 17 occasions they have. Andre Ayew and Gomis continued to threaten and Ayew was close to extending Swansea’s lead in the 52nd minute when his header from a corner hit the inside of the post and ran across the face of the goal. It was the moment that victory slipped from Swansea’s grasp.
Sunderland began to string together passes and equalised 10 minutes later with a goal which was a mirror image of Swansea’s. This time Jeremain Lens threaded the through-ball and Defoe provided the finish across the goalkeeper at the end of a week when there has been speculation about his future. Advocaat remains an admirer. “Jermain is very positive and he never came to me to say anything about leaving the club,” said the coach. But he added: “If players don’t like it, I don’t want to keep them.”
Both teams had opportunities in the closing stages to claim victory; Defoe was closest for Sunderland when he was inches away from turning in a 71st-minute cross from Steven Fletcher.
“I am disappointed in a way, but there were a lot of positives,” said Monk. “It was a good performance and we should have won, but didn’t because of good goalkeeping and less clinical finishing. There was some unbelievable goalkeeping from Pantilimon. He clawed one out of the air, otherwise we would be talking about three points.”
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Star man: Costel Pantilimon (Sunderland)
Sunderland: Pantilimon 8, Jones 6, Coates 4, O’Shea 5, Van Aanholt 5, M’Vila 6, Cattermole 6, Rodwell 5, Defoe 7 (Watmore 86min, 5), Graham 5 (Fletcher 67min, 6), Lens 6 (Larsson 90+3min, 5)
Swansea City: Fabianski 6, Naughton 6, Fernandez 6, Williams 5, Taylor 6, Cork 6, Shelvey 7, Ayew 8, Sigurdsson 6, Montero 5, Gomis 8 (Eder 76min, 5)