West Ham United 2 Sunderland 0

Apr 5 2009 by James Hunter, Sunday Sun

THE HEAT is really on for Sunderland now after their Premier League survival hopes were dealt a Hammer blow in the capital.

A third successive defeat left the Black Cats fourth-bottom in the top flight and facing a desperate battle to survive.

Goals from homegrown youngsters Junior Stanislas on 43 minutes and James Tomkins seven minutes into the second half gave West Ham a victory which lifted them up to seventh and strengthened their chances of European qualification.

Once again, Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia was at a loss to explain why his side continue to shoot themselves in the foot.

Because the problems Sunderland suffered against West Ham were all too familiar to regular followers of the Wearsiders this season – a near-total lack of goal threat allied to a defence that is prone to switching off at set-pieces.

However, diagnosing a problem and remedying it are two very different things.

But, with only seven games left, if Sunderland do not do something quickly, they could find themselves back in the Championship.

Sbragia has identified the games against Hull City and West Brom later this month as the key fixtures in Sunderland’s run-in. But the pressure on those games will be all the more intense as, with a home game against Manchester United coming up first next Saturday, there is every chance that Sunderland will go into those crucial games on the back of four defeats on the spin.

It is a worrying time on Wearside and at present only the failings of fellow North-East sides Newcastle and Middlesbrough are keeping the Black Cats out of the drop zone.

Sbragia decided this was the game to restore record signing Craig Gordon to the side for his first league game since October, but it was not a happy return for the £9m keeper, as the Hammers claimed the points.

Gordon’s return at the expense of Márton Fülöp was one of four changes Sbragia made to the side that started the defeat at Manchester City a fortnight ago..