Sunderland 2 West Ham 1

Mar 30 2008 by James Hunter, Sunday Sun

A WEEK ago, Roy Keane said the defining moments in the race for Premier League survival were still to come.

He didn’t have long to wait.

When the Premier League draws to a close in six weeks time, this could be the weekend that Sunderland will look back on as the turning point.

The Black Cats came from behind to beat West Ham with Kenwyne Jones cancelling out Freddie Ljungberg’s opener before Andy Reid snatched a priceless victory for Roy Keane’s men deep in injury time as he notched his first goal for the club.

Reid’s goal meant that Sunderland, who won at Aston Villa last week, completed back-to-back wins for the first time this season and for the first time in the Premier League in over six years – not since December 2001 have the Wearsiders been able to boast a two-game winning streak in the top flight.

But what transformed this from merely an excellent home win into something potentially far more important were results elsewhere.

Bottom two Derby and Fulham slugged it out to draw 2-2 – nothing too startling there.

But third-bottom Bolton committed what their boss Gary Megson described as “suicide” as they threw away a two-goal half-time lead at home against 10-man Arsenal and ended up losing 3-2 with the Gunners snatching a late winner.

Reading drew, Wigan lost and fourth-bottom Birmingham beat Manchester City, but Sunderland were the big winners this weekend.

They climb up to 13th in the table and Bolton’s defeat means the four-point gap between the Black Cats and the relegation zone has stretched to a much more healthy seven points.

And Sunderland will regroup on Wearside on Wednesday ahead of Saturday’s clash with second-bottom Fulham, knowing that another win would surely put them within touching distance of safety.

No wonder Keane could afford to smile as he prepared to jet out with his squad last night for a four-day training camp in Spain!

His decision to bring back leading scorer Jones – who missed the win at Villa last week and Trinidad & Tobago’s midweek international friendly against Jamaica with a virus – proved inspired.

Jones replaced Roy O’Donovan up front and was one of two changes Keane made to the side.

The other change saw Michael Chopra, who came off the bench to score the winner against Villa, come in on the right side of midfield at the expense of Carlos Edwards, who had also pulled out of the T&T squad with a groin injury.

West Ham included former Sunderland left-back George McCartney in their starting line-up, although he went off at half-time with an injury.

Sunderland struggled to get going in the first 20 minutes and were made to pay the price.

Dean Ashton had already rattled the right-hand post with a 20-yard shot before ex-Arsenal man Ljungberg fired the visitors in front on 18 minutes.

Sunderland failed to clear inside the penalty area and it fell to the Swede who hit a powerful low shot across goal which deflected off Nyron Nosworthy’s backside as the defender threw himself at the ball, and that touch was just enough to divert it beyond the diving Craig Gordon’s right hand and in at the foot of the left-hand post.

Sunderland were stung into life by that goal and, roared on by a crowd of almost 46,000, they levelled 10 minutes later.

Kieran Richardson tricked his way to the byline down the left and cut the ball back, Daryl Murphy tried to flick it past Hammers keeper Rob Green at the near post and did not make firm contact but Jones was there just a couple of yards out to tap home.

West Ham thought Jones was offside but the linesman said no and TV replays showed he was right.

Jones’ goal was his sixth of the season and it ended his run of 10 games without finding the net.

Chopra and Reid both brought good saves out of England keeper Green but Gordon made the save of the game at the other end 10 minutes before the break.

Carlton Cole cut inside from the left onto his right foot and curled a shot towards the top right-hand corner, but Gordon flung himself to his left and touched the ball over the bar.

Sunderland asked all the questions in the second half but Murphy and, from a set-piece, Danny Collins could not finish when chances came their way.

The Black Cats should have gone in front eight minutes from the end of normal time when Jones did brilliantly in the left-hand channel to get into the box and square the ball to his right for his unmarked strike partner Murphy, but the Irishman blasted over the bar from just eight yards when it seemed he must score.

It seemed Sunderland’s chance to win might have gone but in the 87th minute West Ham were rocked when goalscorer Ljungberg was stretchered off with a hamstring problem and – having already used their three subs – they had to play the final three minutes of normal time and five minutes injury time with 10 men.

Sunderland poured forward and got their reward with virtually the last kick of the game.

Sub Edwards’ cross from the right brushed the head of Hammers defender Anton Ferdinand and fell invitingly for Reid, who crashed a left-foot shot past Green from eight yards.

It was no more than Sunderland deserved.