Premier League Rewind: 19th-20th August 2000

Results: Charlton Athletic 4-0 Manchester City, Chelsea 4-2 West Ham United, Coventry City 1-3 Middlesbrough, Derby County 2-2 Southampton, Leeds United 2-0 Everton, Leicester City 0-0 Aston Villa, Liverpool FC 1-0 Bradford City, Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Ipswich Town, Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United

After France’s success at the 2000 European Championships which made them back-to-back major international winners, football fans only had to wait approximately six weeks before domestic action returned. The 2000-2001 Premier League season began in August sunshine with some great goals, impressive displays and stormy battles.

The stormy battle came at Sunderland where Arsenal came a cropper on the opening day. Niall Quinn scored the only goal of the game. His header – a typical trademark effort from the big striker after 53 minutes helped the Black Cats record an impressive 1-0 victory over the previous season’s runners-up. However, the flashpoint came towards the end of the match as referee Steve Dunn gave Patrick Vieira the latest red card in his English career. An altercation with Darren Williams saw the Frenchman receive his marching orders. Arsene Wenger defended his volatile midfielder, speaking afterwards: “Patrick Vieira has tried to play football today and some other players have not tried, and in the end, he is sent off because he had a bad reaction.”

Many people were tipping Chelsea to be Manchester United’s strongest challengers and the Blues had just beaten United comfortably in the Charity Shield curtain-raiser a week earlier. Chelsea continued the good form on day one with a spectacular 4-2 home victory over West Ham United. After a year in Spain with Atletico Madrid, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink returned to English football and made a goalscoring return but his efforts were overshadowed by a wonderful goal from fellow debutant Mario Stanic, who scored twice on the day. The positive vibes though wouldn’t last long for Chelsea and their manager Gianluca Vialli. He was sacked less than a month later.

After losing on the final day of the previous campaign to Bradford City which meant they missed out on UEFA Champions League football for 2000-2001, Liverpool FC extracted some form of revenge with a nervy 1-0 success against the Bantams at Anfield. Beginning his first full season after his £11 million move in March from Leicester City, Emile Heskey scored the only goal of the game as the Reds began their momentous season in winning fashion.

Reigning champions Manchester United made a business-like start to their title defence. The biggest surprise of their routine 2-0 home win against Newcastle United was the first goal of the Old Trafford season came from centre-back Ronny Johnsen. A more familiar scorer in the shape of Andy Cole got the second as he haunted his old club yet again. Cole had now scored seven goals in his last four appearances against the Magpies.

The top two from the previous season in the First Division met on day one at The Valley and the tone for their respective campaigns was set from the outset. Charlton Athletic brushed aside Manchester City 4-0 thanks to goals from Andy Hunt, John Robinson, Mark Kinsella and Graham Stuart. This was despite missing five first-choice attacking players. The Addicks were set for a campaign safely in mid-table whilst Joe Royle was given plenty to think about after seeing his side pulled apart convincingly in the capital.

Elsewhere, Mark Venus had the honour of scoring the first goal of the season after only nine minutes at White Hart Lane. However, it wasn’t enough for Ipswich to get anything at Tottenham, as they eventually lost 3-1 and Leeds United began their season with a 2-0 triumph over Everton. Both goals came in the first half from Alan Smith.

What else happened in August 2000?

• The Queen Mother celebrates her 100^th birthday.
• English actor Sir Alec Guinness dies from liver cancer, aged 86.
• The Democratic party in America nominate the current US vice-president, Al Gore, as their candidate for US president at the November election during their convention in Los Angeles.
• In one of the largest Russian naval exercises since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian submarine Kursk sinks in the Barents Sea. All 118 men on-board drown.
• Nintendo announce their plans for their latest games console to take on Sony with the GameCube set to come out by the end of 2002.
• One of Nickelodeon’s most popular shows makes its debut on their TV channel with Dora the Explorer launching.

 

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Premier League Files: Steed Malbranque

Premier League Career: Fulham (2001-2006), Tottenham Hotspur (2006-2008), Sunderland (2008-2011)

Steed Malbranque might have started his professional career with Lyon and would finish his footballing playing days in France but he spent the bulk of his time in English football. He became a firm favourite with fans of the clubs he represented in the Premier League; Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland. He also was liked by a certain British Prime Minister too.

Malbranque made his professional debut in 1998 with Lyon and would play 96 times in all competitions in his first spell with the club. This included 19 appearances in European competition, scoring twice in the UEFA Champions League. It was clear that there was talent in Malbranque’s game and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger sent scouts to look at him. However, no move to the Gunners materialised.

In the summer of 2001, he did move to the Premier League and also to London but it was to top-flight newcomers, Fulham for a fee in the region of £4.5 million. He made his debut in the exciting 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford against reigning champions Manchester United and went on to score eight goals in his debut Premier League campaign.

Fulham fans loved Malbranque and he would score 44 goals in all competitions for the Cottagers during an impressive five-year spell with the club. One of his finest displays came in October 2003, when Fulham pulled off a brilliant result to defeat Manchester United 3-1. This was among a string of productive performances that saw him called into the full French international squad by Jacques Santini in March 2004 for a friendly against the Netherlands. However, he remained an unused substitute during the goalless encounter and he would never win a full international cap for Les Bleus.

In November 2005, British Prime Minister Tony Blair came onto the BBC’s lunchtime magazine show, Football Focus and was asked to name his favourite Premier League players. He picked Teddy Sheringham, Arjan de Zeeuw and Malbranque. Possibly boosted by having such a high-profile fan, Malbranque would score both goals later that afternoon in a 2-1 victory for Fulham over Manchester City. This would be his last season in west London. Despite having extensive talks over a new contract, these discussions broke down and with just one year left on his current deal, Fulham elected to cash in on his services.

There was plenty of interest in the summer of 2006 for Malbranque. The likes of Everton, Reading and Middlesbrough all made bids for him but he elected to stay in London and join Tottenham Hotspur on transfer deadline day for around £2 million. A groin operation delayed his debut for the Lilywhites until November 2006 and he would score 12 times in his 18 months with Tottenham in all competitions. Part of the last Tottenham squad to win silverware (the 2008 League Cup), Malbranque’s work ethic was also widely praised by Spurs supporters. In 2007-2008, he ended up in the top five for tackles made and tackles per minute across the whole Premier League.

In July 2008, he surprisingly followed Pascal Chimbonda and Teemu Tainio to Sunderland, signing a four-year contract. He struggled to replicate his Fulham and Tottenham form during his days on Wearside, although he did play in a different position as a winger. He then dropped into a deeper role in the 2010-2011 season to accommodate Danny Welbeck into the team. Welbeck was on a season-long loan from Manchester United. He featured prominently that campaign and his work ethic was again clear to see. He made his 100^th appearance for the club in February 2011 against Chelsea but manager Steve Bruce decided to make him surplus to requirements at the end of the campaign. It was decided that removing him from the wage bill would help fund new summer signings too for the Black Cats.

Malbranque joined Saint-Etienne but made just one appearance for them before asking for his contract to be terminated. After a year away from the game, he returned to Lyon for four seasons before winding down his playing days with SM Caen and Monts d’Or Azergues who play in the Championnat National 2.

A tireless worker, Steed Malbranque won’t feature on the list of greatest French players to have played in the Premier League but he is fondly remembered by the clubs he played for and his best spell on these shores was definitely at Fulham, where he had a canny knack of scoring crucial goals.

The Clubs: Sunderland

All-Time Premier League Record

Played	Won	Drew	Lost	Scored	Conceded	Goal Difference	Points	No of Seasons
608	153	159	296	612	904	-292	618	16

 

Most Premier League Appearances

Player	Appearances Total
John O’Shea	189
Sebastian Larsson	176
Phil Bardsley	174
Lee Cattermole	170
Michael Gray	170
Kevin Phillips	139
Kieran Richardson	134
Niall Quinn	129
Thomas Sorensen	126
Adam Johnson	122

 

Most Premier League Goals

Player	Goals Total
Kevin Phillips	61
Jermain Defoe	34
Darren Bent	32
Niall Quinn	29
Kenwyne Jones	26
Steven Fletcher	23
Adam Johnson	19
Stephane Sessegnon	17
Fabio Borini	14
Kieran Richardson	14

 

Biggest Premier League Victories

Match	Date	Season
Derby County 0-5 Sunderland	18th September 1999	1999-2000
Bradford City 0-4 Sunderland	2nd October 1999	1999-2000
Sunderland 4-0 West Bromwich Albion	13th December 2008	2008-2009
Sunderland 4-0 Bolton Wanderers	9th March 2010	2009-2010
Sunderland 4-0 Stoke City	18th September 2011	2011-2012
Sunderland 4-0 Cardiff City	27th April 2014	2013-2014
Crystal Palace 0-4 Sunderland	4th February 2017	2016-2017
Sunderland 5-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers	27th September 2009	2009-2010
Nottingham Forest 1-4 Sunderland	21st August 1996	1996-1997
Sunderland 4-1 Chelsea	4th December 1999	1999-2000

 

Worst Premier League Defeats

Match	Date	Season
Southampton 8-0 Sunderland	18th October 2014	2014-2015
Everton 7-1 Sunderland	24th November 2007	2007-2008
Chelsea 7-2 Sunderland	16th January 2010	2009-2010
Aston Villa 6-1 Sunderland	29th April 2013	2012-2013
Manchester United 5-0 Sunderland	21st December 1996	1996-1997
Everton 5-0 Sunderland	26th December 1999	1999-2000
Ipswich Town 5-0 Sunderland	29th December 2001	2001-2002
Chelsea 5-0 Sunderland	1st November 2008	2008-2009
Manchester City 5-0 Sunderland	3rd April 2011	2010-2011
Chelsea 6-2 Sunderland	16th March 1997	1996-1997

 

Managers

Manager	No of Seasons managed	Left the Club
Peter Reid	5	7th October 2002
Howard Wilkinson	1	10th March 2003
Mick McCarthy	2	6th March 2006
Roy Keane	2	4th December 2008
Ricky Sbragia	1	24th May 2009
Steve Bruce	3	30th November 2011
Martin O’Neill	2	30th March 2013
Paolo Di Canio	2	22nd September 2013
Gus Poyet	2	16th March 2015
Dick Advocaat	2	4th October 2015
Sam Allardyce	1	21st July 2016
David Moyes	1	22nd May 2017

 

Highest Home Attendances

Match	Date	Attendance Figure	Season
Sunderland 0-1 Liverpool FC	13th April 2002	48,355	2001-2002
Sunderland 1-3 Manchester United	13th October 2001	48,305	2001-2002
Sunderland 0-1 Newcastle United	24th February 2002	48,290	2001-2002
Sunderland 0-2 Leeds United	31st March 2001	48,285	2000-2001
Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle United	21st April 2001	48,277	2000-2001
Sunderland 0-1 Manchester United	31st January 2001	48,260	2000-2001
Sunderland 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur	14th April 2001	48,029	2000-2001
Sunderland 1-1 Arsenal	27th October 2001	48,029	2001-2002
Sunderland 0-0 Chelsea	9th December 2001	48,017	2001-2002
Sunderland 1-0 Everton	22nd December 2001	48,013	2001-2002

 

Intro

Sunderland have undergone some tough times recently. They became the first club since Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2013 to experience the indignity of back-to-back relegations to the third-tier of English football. The Black Cats made their Premier League debut in 1996 and achieved two finishes in the top 10 at the start of the millennium under Peter Reid’s tenure. Before their 2017 relegation, they were becoming the survival specialists, edging to safety in the closing weeks of each season from 2012-2013 to 2015-2016.

 

1996-1997

Sunderland initially coped well with the step-up to Premier League level and by the end of January, sat in 11^th position in the table. Arsenal, Chelsea and reigning champions Manchester United were among the teams to experience defeat in what was the final campaign at the historic Roker Park ground. February was the month it started to go wrong with four successive defeats and a 6-2 beating at Stamford Bridge in March left them in a precarious position. The Black Cats beat Everton 3-0 in their last-ever match at Roker Park but on the final day, they lost 1-0 to Wimbledon and were relegated by just a single point after Coventry’s surprising victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

 

1999-2000

After two seasons back in the First Division, Sunderland returned to the Premier League in 1999-2000 and enjoyed a thrilling campaign back in the top-flight. It started badly with a 4-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea but they bounced back superbly. A memorable 2-1 success over Newcastle United in August saw the end of Ruud Gullit’s explosive tenure as manager and Peter Reid’s side enjoyed a 10-match unbeaten run off the back of that. Sunderland eventually finished in a creditable seventh position and with 30 goals scored, Kevin Phillips had a season to remember, winning the Golden Boot.

 

2000-2001

After scoring 44 goals in a fruitful partnership the previous season, the Niall Quinn/Kevin Phillips duo contributed to another 26 goals in 2000-2001 as Sunderland finished seventh for the second successive campaign. A 2-0 away victory at West Ham in mid-January had Peter Reid’s side in the dizzying heights of second place in the table but they only managed another three victories to slide out of European contention.

 

2001-2002

Sunderland’s form took a drastic slide in 2001-2002. They were the lowest scorers in the division, mustering just 29 goals in 38 matches. They were in ninth position after a 3-0 victory at Blackburn Rovers at Boxing Day which was their biggest win of the season but a 5-0 reverse only a few days later at Ipswich started a worrying run of form with just three victories in 19 games. Survival was only secured by a home 1-1 draw with Derby County on the last day of the season.

 

2002-2003

Sunderland’s 2002-2003 season was a nightmare. After winning just two of their first nine matches, Peter Reid parted company with the club after over six years at the helm. Howard Wilkinson was the shock choice as his successor and although there were notable home victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC, the Black Cats looked in real trouble and were in the drop zone at Christmas.

A calamitous first half at home to Charlton Athletic which saw Sunderland concede three own goals in the space of eight minutes virtually spelt the end for Wilkinson. He was sacked in mid-March. Mick McCarthy was brought in but it was already too late. He lost every single game and Sunderland went down in abject fashion. They were relegated on 12^th April after a 2-0 defeat away at Birmingham City and finished with just 19 points, losing 15 successive matches.

 

2005-2006

Mick McCarthy stayed on as Sunderland manager after their relegation and guided them back to the top-flight at the second attempt of asking but once again, his squad were simply not good enough for Premier League football. Sunderland lost their first five matches and recorded just three wins all campaign. McCarthy was sacked in early March and Kevin Ball took over on a caretaker basis until the end of the season. Sunderland’s third Premier League relegation was confirmed in mid-April after a gutsy goalless draw at Old Trafford but ended with only 15 points – the second lowest tally ever recorded in Premier League history.

 

2007-2008

Former title-winning Premier League skipper Roy Keane was at the helm for Sunderland’s Premier League return in 2007. He brought in 12 new faces in pre-season and it took time for everything to gel, despite a brilliant opening day victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Sunderland won just two of their first 16 games and also lost 7-1 away at Everton in November. Keane though stuck to his principles and a vital away victory at Villa Park in March started a three-game winning sequence that eventually saw them survive in 15^th place with 39 points.

 

2008-2009

Sunderland began the 2008-2009 season in solid form, winning three of their first nine matches, including a memorable 2-1 Tyne & Wear Derby success over Newcastle United. Manager Roy Keane though resigned on 4^th December, five days after a damaging 4-1 home defeat to Bolton Wanderers. Ricky Sbragia took over and after impressive early victories in his tenure (4-0) over West Bromwich Albion and (4-1) away at Hull City, Sunderland slipped into relegation trouble. Despite winning just one of their last 13 matches, the poor form of Hull and Newcastle meant Sunderland survived. Sbragia resigned at the season’s end and owner Niall Quinn began his pursuit of Wigan boss Steve Bruce.

 

2009-2010

Steve Bruce agreed to leave Wigan Athletic in June to take the Sunderland post and he helped break the club-record transfer fee in the summer to acquire the services of Darren Bent for £10 million from Tottenham Hotspur. Bent’s response was to score 24 goals in the Premier League and finish third in the race for the Golden Boot, only below Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney. Sunderland ended the season in a mediocre 13^th place in the table but did achieve home wins over Liverpool FC, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur during the campaign.

 

2010-2011

Apart from an embarrassing 5-1 clobbering from Newcastle United on Halloween, Sunderland enjoyed a brilliant first half of the 2010-2011 campaign. Darren Bent was still scoring goals, Asamoah Gyan settled quickly after his summer arrival and even the champions Chelsea were outclassed in a shock 3-0 defeat to the Black Cats in November.

After a 2-1 victory away at Blackpool in January, Sunderland sat in sixth position but Bent was sold to Aston Villa and a run of nine games without a win, losing eight of those matches took them onto the edges of the relegation battle. Late season wins away at Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United saw the club sneak a 10^th place finish at the season’s conclusion.

 

2011-2012

Bruce spent £28 million in the summer transfer window but pre-season expectations of a European challenge quickly faded and after a 2-1 home defeat to bottom-placed Wigan Athletic at the end of November; he became the first managerial casualty of the season. Martin O’Neill quickly came in as his successor and won seven of his first 10 games in-charge to see Sunderland rise from 17^th to 8^th in the table. They eventually finished 13^th after failing to win any of their last eight matches.

 

2012-2013

Martin O’Neill managed to get his long-time transfer target signed up in the summer as Steven Fletcher joined from relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers and he made a flying start, scoring five goals in his first four matches to win the Premier League Player of the Month award for September. Sunderland didn’t lose a top-flight match until a 3-0 loss at Manchester City in early October but never climbed higher than 11^th in the table all season. After a 1-0 home defeat to Manchester United, O’Neill was surprisingly sacked despite an eight-game winless run. The temperamental Paolo Di Canio was his successor and two wins over Everton and famously, Newcastle United at St James’ Park saw Sunderland finish three points clear of the relegation zone.

 

2013-2014

With reports of dressing room mutiny and just one point from five games, Paolo Di Canio was dismissed by owner Ellis Short in late September. His successor was the likeable Gus Poyet and he helped Sunderland to another great escape. When the Black Cats won 3-0 at St James’ Park in early February for the second consecutive campaign, they rose to 14^th place despite being bottom of the table on Christmas Day. However, they gathered just one point from their next eight games and relegation looked a certainty after a 5-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

The lost cause though turned into a fabulous run of form. A draw at Manchester City was followed by crucial home wins over Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion and even more surprising, victories at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford. Sunderland ended the campaign clear of trouble in 14^th place. They also enjoyed a run to the League Cup final before losing 3-1 to Manchester City.

 

2014-2015

It looked like another long season for Sunderland supporters when they failed to win any of their first six matches, despite drawing five of these. A humiliating 8-0 loss to Southampton had the alarm bells ringing and despite another famous victory at St James’ Park before Christmas, Sunderland were fighting again against the threat of relegation. After a dreadful 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa in mid-March, Gus Poyet was sacked.

Dick Advocaat was his replacement and once again, the late managerial change worked. Jermain Defoe returned to the Premier League after his spell in the MLS and scored a memorable goal in a home Derby victory over Newcastle and survival was secured by a goalless draw at Arsenal in the final week of the season. Advocaat was reduced to tears at the final whistle and confirmed shortly afterwards he would be stepping down. However, he had a change of heart later in the summer and remained in the post as first-team manager.

 

2015-2016

The Dick Advocaat magic faded away relatively quickly and once again, Sunderland were looking for a new boss when the Dutchman resigned in early October without a win to their name. Sam Allardyce was the next man in the hotseat but the initial bounce of victories over Newcastle United and Crystal Palace gave way to a dreadful December. Sunderland failed to collect a single point from five December matches and went into 2016 seven points adrift of safety.

Sunderland’s situation looked bleak after losing 2-0 at home to champions-elect Leicester City on 10^th April but that was their final loss of the season. A crucial 3-0 away victory at Norwich City saw them regain destiny of their fate in the relegation battle and back-to-back home victories in May over Chelsea and Everton guided Sunderland to safety once again.

 

2016-2017

After England’s exit from the European Championships in the summer at the hands of Iceland, Roy Hodgson resigned and eventually, Sam Allardyce was tempted away from Sunderland to take control of the England national team. His successor was David Moyes but he looked flat and so did the team from the early stages of the campaign.

There were few high spots. Defoe continued to score goals and there was an enjoyable 4-0 away victory over Crystal Palace in early February over Allardyce, who was now Palace manager after his England experience turned sour. They were in the bottom three virtually all campaign and their 10-year spell in the top-flight ended in late April with a 1-0 home defeat to AFC Bournemouth. Sunderland finished bottom of the table and Moyes quit at the season’s end.

Shock Results: Middlesbrough 0-2 Sunderland (September 2005)

Goalscorers: Tommy Miller 2, Julio Arca 60

Teams:

Middlesbrough: Brad Jones, Ugo Ehiogu (Massimo Maccarone 37), Gareth Southgate, Emanuel Pogatetz, Abel Xavier, Franck Queudrue, George Boateng, James Morrison (Ray Parlour 64), Fabio Rochemback, Mark Viduka, Yakubu (Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 64)

Sunderland: Kelvin Davis, Gary Breen, Steven Caldwell, Justin Hoyte, Nyron Nosworthy, Julio Arca, Tommy Miller, Dean Whitehead (Liam Lawrence 90), Stephen Elliott (Anthony Le Tallec 84), Christian Bassila, Andy Gray

Referee: Howard Webb, Attendance: 29,583

Sunderland arrived at The Riverside Stadium in September 2005 already looking like a side in big trouble. Having won the Championship title the previous season, Mick McCarthy’s side had registered just a solitary point to their name from their opening six games back in the top-flight. They needed a lift-off against a Boro side that had sent Arsenal packing in their last match on home soil.

The visitors made the dream start after only 90 seconds. Goalkeeper Kelvin Davis played a long goal-kick up the park which unsettled the usually trustworthy Middlesbrough centre-back pairing of Ugo Ehiogu and Gareth Southgate. Southgate’s attempt to intercept a flick-on by Andy Gray only fell into the path of Tommy Miller who had made a run into the penalty area. His gamble was rewarded and Miller shot past Brad Jones to put the Wearsiders into an early lead.

Middlesbrough made an instant response and Davis had to be in fine form to deny James Morrison from a counter-attack, before bailing out Christian Bassila after he miskicked badly and Yakubu was denied by the goalkeeper’s legs. The Sunderland centre-backs of Gary Breen and Stephen Caldwell were having one of those days where they were blocking shots and making crucial interceptions at the vital moment.

Boro continued to do the pressing after the break and should have equalised when the Black Cats were down to nine men briefly whilst Nyron Nosworthy and Bassila were both being treated off-the-pitch following a clash of heads. However, Mark Viduka fired a shot wide of the post when the experienced Australian really should have scored. Moments later, Sunderland had the critical second goal but it did come through some form of controversy.

An offside was given against Gray but referee Howard Webb elected to overrule the decision and awarded McCarthy’s side a free-kick for a foul earlier on in the build-up on Miller. Middlesbrough players were unimpressed but Webb stuck to his decision and although there might have been some doubt to whether the correct decision had been made, there was no doubt on the taking of the free-kick. Julio Arca placed it to perfection over the wall and into the net with Jones left stranded.

Middlesbrough ran out of ideas and despite throwing on Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Sunderland withstood the long-ball approach to record their first Premier League victory since defeating Liverpool FC in December 2002 – 22 top-flight games ago.

It was a rare highlight for McCarthy and for the team. They claimed just two further victories and were relegated with just 15 points, currently the second worst total in Premier League history. Middlesbrough did beat Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea at home but inconsistency like this performance against Sunderland was a reason why they only finished 14^th in the final standings.

Premier League Rewind: 5th-6th November 2016

Results: AFC Bournemouth 1-2 Sunderland, Burnley 3-2 Crystal Palace, Manchester City 1-1 Middlesbrough, West Ham United 1-1 Stoke City, Chelsea 5-0 Everton, Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool FC 6-1 Watford, Hull City 2-1 Southampton, Swansea City 1-3 Manchester United, Leicester City 1-2 West Bromwich Albion

At the start of November 2016, the top five in the table were covered by just three points. Title favourites Manchester City led the standings but had Arsenal, Liverpool FC, a revitalised Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur right on their coattails. By the end of this particular weekend, we had new leaders again and another special Premier League goalscoring milestone had been reached.

Manchester City had wobbled recently at The Etihad Stadium, having dropped points at home to Southampton and Everton and that trend continued against Middlesbrough. Just days after sweeping aside Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League group stages, it looked like the home side were on their way to a routine victory when Sergio Aguero scored two minutes before half-time. However, despite having 25 shots on-goal, they were wasteful and were punished in the first minute of stoppage-time. George Friend’s cross was met by midfielder Marten de Roon, whose header was too powerful to be stopped by Claudio Bravo, earning Boro a fourth away draw of the season. It was now just one win in five Premier League matches for Pep Guardiola.

Chelsea had the opportunity to go top following this result at Eastlands and Eden Hazard put in an exemplary performance as Everton were crushed 5-0 at Stamford Bridge. The Belgian was in masterful form, scoring twice, whilst Pedro ably assisted with a goal of his own and two assists too. Since a half-time change of formation in defeat at Arsenal at the end of September, Chelsea hadn’t conceded a goal and had now chalked up five successive victories.

On the Sunday, Arsenal had the opportunity to take over at the summit of the table as they hosted local rivals Tottenham in the latest edition of the hotly-contested North London Derby rivalry. It seemed like they were going to inflict a first defeat of the season on Mauricio Pochettino’s side when Kevin Wimmer headed the ball into his own net from a Mesut Ozil free-kick. However, Tottenham were given a penalty by Mark Clattenburg when Mousa Dembele was tripped in the penalty area by Laurent Koscielny. On his return to the starting XI following six weeks out with injury, Harry Kane made an immediate impact on his return, converting the spot-kick as Spurs extended their unbeaten run. However, they had now drawn four successive matches since beating Manchester City a month earlier.

Ultimately, it was Liverpool FC who would end the weekend as new league leaders. Jurgen Klopp’s side produced a sparkling display against a Watford side that caved in spectacularly at Anfield. Sadio Mane scored twice and Georginio Wijnaldum struck his first Reds goal as the Hornets lost 6-1 at Anfield. Liverpool were top scorers in the division with 30 goals in just 11 matches.

There was a piece of goalscoring history at The Liberty Stadium. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the 25,000^th goal in Premier League history as Manchester United strolled to a 3-1 win at Swansea and moved back into the top six. It was only their second win in eight matches and left the Swans second-bottom and only above Sunderland on goal difference. There was finally some joy for the Black Cats supporters, as they came from behind to defeat AFC Bournemouth 2-1 and record their first victory of the season at the 11^th attempt of asking.

The cracks were beginning to show at Leicester City. The reigning champions were performing dreadfully on their travels but at home, they were still unbeaten until West Bromwich Albion outfought and outplayed them. Matt Phillips scored the winning goal as the Baggies made the short trip back across the Midlands with all three points following a 2-1 win and left Claudio Ranieri’s side just two points above the relegation zone.

What else happened in November 2016?

• Republican candidate Donald Trump defeats Hilary Clinton to become the 45^th President of the United States.
• Former Cuban President Fidel Castro, who spent 32 years in office, dies aged 90.
• 71 people are killed in Colombia on-board LaMia Flight 2933 which include many of the Brazilian Chapecoense football team.
• Thomas Mair is found guilty of murdering Labour MP Jo Cox in West Yorkshire and is sentenced to life imprisonment at The Old Bailey.
• UKIP has a new leader as Paul Nuttall is elected.
• BBC Television celebrates its 80^th anniversary.
• Britain’s Andy Murray becomes ATP Men’s Singles World no.1, becoming the first British player to reach no.1 in the tennis rankings in the modern era.

Seasonal Stories: Sunderland (1999-2000)

Storming to seventh

Sunderland returned to the elite of English football in 1999 after two seasons in Division One. The Black Cats had coasted to the title in the previous campaign and had learned their lessons from their painful relegation on the final day in 1997.

Peter Reid’s side played some thrilling football all campaign and finished in a fine seventh position, just outside of the European qualifying positions. They also had the top scorer of the Premier League season in their ranks with Kevin Phillips scoring 30 goals in his debut top-flight campaign.

Adding experience

Manager Peter Reid largely kept trust with the squad that had brought Premier League football back to Sunderland for the 1999-2000 season. Just £5.5 million was spent in the summer transfer window but some useful experience was added, especially to the defence.

The main arrival was that of Steve Bould. The central defender, a serial winner of FA Cups and league championships during his time at Arsenal, was signed in early July for £500,000 and was appointed as the new captain of the side upon his arrival. He was joined by 1996 European Championship winner Thomas Helmer from Bayern Munich on a free transfer. However, he made just two appearances all season for Reid.

The most expensive arrival was midfielder Stefan Schwarz. The Swede was a £4 million capture from Valencia and had Premier League experience on his CV too from a one-season spell with Arsenal in 1994-1995.

Rude awakening

Sunderland made a disastrous start on the opening day at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. It wasn’t going to be an easy beginning but they lost 4-0 with future Sunderland manager Gus Poyet scoring an early contender for Goal of the Season.

Their first victory came three days later in their first-ever Premier League match at The Stadium of Light. Kevin Phillips scored twice to beat his former club and fellow Premier League promoted side Watford 2-0.

Sunderland’s season received proper lift-on towards the end of August when they travelled to St James’ Park for a local derby with Newcastle United. It was a filthy evening weather-wise but a joyous one for the visiting fans. Niall Quinn and Phillips scored second half goals as the Black Cats recovered from a goal down at the interval to win 2-1. The result sealed Ruud Gullit’s fate and ended his reign as Newcastle manager.

The win on Tyneside began an 11-match unbeaten run in the top-flight with one of the highlights coming at Pride Park where they ran riot at Derby County. Phillips scored his first Premier League treble in a 5-0 victory which still remains Sunderland’s biggest-ever Premier League victory. When his two goals downed Aston Villa 2-1 a month later, the Black Cats were sitting in impressive company in the table.

18^th OCTOBER 1999 TABLE

POS	TABLE	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Leeds United	11	8	1	2	21	12	+9	25
2	Manchester United	11	7	3	1	27	16	+11	24
3	SUNDERLAND	11	7	2	2	20	9	+11	23
4	Arsenal	11	7	1	3	17	10	+7	22
5	Leicester City	11	6	2	3	19	14	+5	20
6	Chelsea	9	6	1	2	15	4	+11	19

Dishing out revenge on Chelsea

Sunderland’s unbeaten run came to an end on 20^th November when they were beaten 2-0 at home by Liverpool FC. It was their first home defeat of the campaign. However, they bounced back again with another run of three successive victories. The second of those wins was probably the sweetest of the season on home soil.

Chelsea turned up at The Stadium of Light on a difficult run of form domestically that saw them down in the upper reaches of mid-table. Nevertheless, no-one could have forecasted the amazing first half performance Sunderland put in. The Phillips/Quinn axis was working a treat and both scored a brace. Sunderland supporters were dreaming at half-time and they richly deserved their 4-0 lead. They eventually won 4-1 and dished out the perfect revenge on the Blues for their opening day drubbing.

Before Christmas, Phillips had already scored 19 Premier League goals and he was leading the race for the Golden Boot. Sunderland went into Christmas still in third spot in the table and only below Leeds United and Manchester United.

Boxing Day was a horror story at Everton, folding to a 5-0 defeat in what was the club’s worst defeat of the season. This result started an 11-game sequence that ultimately saw any European hopes dashed.

Only five points were collected in this period but there were spirted draws at home to both Manchester United and Newcastle United. A 5-2 loss to Leicester City in early March forced Reid into some tactical adjustment for the run-in with the club having dropped into ninth position in the table.

Kev reaches the 30-goal mark

Despite the winless run, Phillips had still scored another six goals and it became clear that he wasn’t going to be caught by anyone in the Golden Boot battle. Only England captain Alan Shearer from Newcastle United was putting up any sort of challenge but Phillips finished well-clear.

In Sunderland’s final home game of the season, he scored the only goal of the game against West Ham United and it saw him reach a personal milestone. He became a member of the 30-goal club in a Premier League season, only becoming the third player to achieve this mark after Shearer and Andy Cole. Since then, only Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, Luis Suarez and Robin van Persie have achieved a similar total in any Premier League season meaning Phillips is in very elite company.

A final day 3-1 loss at White Hart Lane to Tottenham Hotspur meant Sunderland missed out on overhauling Aston Villa in the league table in the final reckoning. Nevertheless, a seventh place final position had most definitely exceeded expectations from the start of the season.

Going down in 1997 had hurt everyone connected with Sunderland Football Club but they had learned lessons from that experience which made them better and more knowledgeable for the experience. The 1999-2000 season had been an enjoyable campaign for the club and most especially, for Kevin Phillips who won England international recognition for his goalscoring heroics in this campaign.

FINAL 1999-2000 TABLE – 6^th to 11^th

POS	TABLE	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
6	Aston Villa	38	15	13	10	46	35	+11	58
7	SUNDERLAND	38	16	10	12	57	56	+1	58
8	Leicester City	38	16	7	15	55	55	0	55
9	West Ham United	38	15	10	13	52	53	-1	55
10	Tottenham Hotspur	38	15	8	15	57	48	+8	53
11	Newcastle United	38	14	10	14	63	54	+9	52

Great Goals: Jermain Defoe – SUNDERLAND vs. Newcastle United (April 2015)

After a spell playing for Toronto FC in the MLS, Jermain Defoe returned to the Premier League in January 2015, signing for Sunderland. He scored this memorable goal in his first Tyne & Wear Derby against Newcastle United.

On a weekend of great goals in the Premier League which had already seen world-class strikes from Charlie Adam and Bobby Zamora, Defoe’s effort ranked right up with these two goals. There seemed nothing on from the long punt up the pitch by goalkeeper Vito Mannone. Steven Fletcher won his aerial battle against Mike Williamson and his header fell into Defoe’s reach. He produced a clean connection on the volley and the ball flew into the top corner of the net.

It was the only goal of the contest as Sunderland continued their winning streak over their bitterest rivals, which means this effort was even sweeter for the Black Cats supporters.

Premier League Files: Steven Fletcher

Premier League Career: Burnley (2009-2010), Wolverhampton Wanderers (2010-2012), Sunderland (2012-2016)

Steven Fletcher has often been a standout player in teams that have often struggled in the Premier League. The Scotsman has finished as top scorer for his clubs in relegation campaigns with both Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, his most impressive spell was arguably his four-year stint at Sunderland which came to an end at the start of 2016. Fletcher now plays in the SkyBet EFL Championship for Sheffield Wednesday.

Born in Shrewsbury, Fletcher spent much of his early childhood living in army bases in both Germany and England. His father was a soldier but died in 1997 after a battle with cancer. It was decided that he should relocate to Scotland with his Scottish mother and he was spotted by John Park, who was a youth coach at Hibernian. He joined the club’s youth network at the age of 13.

Fletcher made his club debut with the Edinburgh side in April 2004, coming on as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Kilmarnock. He scored 43 goals in 156 Scottish Premier League games for Hibs, netting his first professional hat-trick in a win over Gretna during the 2007-2008 campaign. He also won Young Player of the Year honours during his time at Easter Road two years in a row.

In January 2009, Hibs blocked a January move to Celtic which left the striker unamused. He argued: “For the development of my career, it is time to move to a bigger club.” In June 2009, he did leave the club – not for Celtic but for Premier League new boys Burnley in a club-record fee of £3 million. He had to wait until October for his first goal in England’s top-flight which came in a 2-1 victory at home to Birmingham City. He was voted Burnley’s Players’ Player of the Season and ended as the club’s top goalscorer, netting eight times. However, the Clarets’ lack of quality was evident after Owen Coyle vacated the managerial post for Bolton Wanderers and they were relegated from the Premier League in April 2010.

Soon after Burnley’s demise back to the Championship, Steven was transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers, who forked out £6.5 million for his services. He made a dream start, scoring on his home debut on the opening weekend of the season as Wolves edged out Stoke City 2-1. Near the end of his first full season, he made himself a real fan favourite with the club after scoring twice in a priceless Black Country Derby triumph over West Bromwich Albion. They were vital goals as Wolves just about avoided relegation on a dramatic final day.

Personally, he improved even further in 2011-2012, scoring 12 goals but the club struggled once again and failed to win another league game after Mick McCarthy’s sacking in mid-February. With Wolves going down, Fletcher was a prized asset who had to be sold to reduce the wage bill and Martin O’Neill was very interested in bringing him to Sunderland.

Wolves drove a hard bargain and it took a transfer request from the player to eventually force the move through. It cost Sunderland £12 million but it looked money well-spent when he scored in his first four matches for the club, winning the Premier League Player of the Month award for September 2012 for his flying start in a Black Cats jersey.

He was handed the no.9 shirt for the 2013-2014 season and after an injury ruled him out of the previous season’s run-in, he returned instantly with a goal away at Crystal Palace, although it came in a losing cause. Fletcher had a knack for popping up with crucial goals throughout his career against local rivals. He did it for Sunderland against Newcastle United, scoring in home victories over the Magpies in October 2013 and 2015.

By now, injuries were restricting his goalscoring threat, as was the form of Jermain Defoe which was often keeping Fletcher out of the team. His goalscoring exploits were now being saved for international representation with Scotland. In 2015, he became the first player since Colin Stein against Cyprus in 1969 to score a hat-trick for The Tartan Army, seven years after making his international bow against Croatia.

After scoring 23 goals in 108 matches for Sunderland, he finished the 2015-2016 season with a loan spell in France with Marseille, scoring twice in matches against Toulouse and Troyes. He did start the 2016 Coupe de France final which ended for Marseille in a 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Sunderland released the Scotsman on his return to these shores and he joined Sheffield Wednesday on a four-year deal in July 2016, still remaining with the Owls today. The closest he has come to playing Premier League football again was the Championship play-offs of 2017 where Wednesday lost their semi-final to eventual winners Huddersfield Town on penalties.

Great Goals: Fraizer Campbell – SUNDERLAND vs. Norwich City (January 2012)

On the face of it, Sunderland’s 3-0 victory over Norwich City in January 2012 looks like a routine scoreline but it produced one of the best goals of the entire campaign from Fraizer Campbell.

Just less than 20 minutes had been played when the forward who had struggled with injuries over the past 18 months reminded everyone of the qualities he’d first displayed in the youth ranks at Manchester United.

Campbell received the ball after James McClean had been stopped in trying to shoot himself. He controlled the ball superbly, allowing the ball to sit up before providing a delicious, looping volley on his second touch into the top corner of the net beyond John Ruddy.

It a moment richly deserved for a player who has been very unfortunate to not quite fulfil the talent that was clearly evident at such a young age.

Seasonal Records: 2013-2014

For all the statistical fans out there, here are some of the season’s records from the 2013-2014 Premier League campaign. The title remained in Manchester again but it was City’s turn to finish as kings of the top-flight, pipping a stern challenge from Liverpool FC on the final day of the season.

FINAL TABLE

Position	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Manchester City	38	27	5	6	102	37	+65	86
2	Liverpool FC	38	26	6	6	101	50	+51	84
3	Chelsea	38	25	7	6	71	27	+44	82
4	Arsenal	38	24	7	7	68	41	+27	79
5	Everton	38	21	9	8	61	39	+22	72
6	Tottenham Hotspur	38	21	6	11	55	51	+4	69
7	Manchester United	38	19	7	12	64	43	+21	64
8	Southampton	38	15	11	12	54	46	+8	56
9	Stoke City	38	13	11	14	45	52	-7	50
10	Newcastle United	38	15	4	19	43	59	-16	49
11	Crystal Palace	38	13	6	19	33	48	-15	45
12	Swansea City	38	11	9	18	54	54	0	42
13	West Ham United	38	11	7	20	40	51	-11	40
14	Sunderland	38	10	8	20	41	60	-19	38
15	Aston Villa	38	10	8	20	39	61	-22	38
16	Hull City	38	10	7	21	38	53	-15	37
17	West Bromwich Albion	38	7	15	16	43	59	-16	36
18	Norwich City	38	8	9	21	28	62	-34	33
19	Fulham	38	9	5	24	40	85	-45	32
20	Cardiff City	38	7	9	22	32	74	-42	30

 

THE BASIC STATS

Goals Scored	1052
European qualifiers	Manchester City (UEFA Champions League) Liverpool FC (UEFA Champions League) Chelsea (UEFA Champions League) Arsenal (UEFA Champions League) Everton (UEFA Europa League) Tottenham Hotspur (UEFA Europa League) Hull City (UEFA Europa League)
Longest winning run	11 games (Liverpool FC)
Longest unbeaten run	16 games (Liverpool FC)
Longest winless run	9 games (Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion & Fulham)
Longest losing run	7 games (Crystal Palace)
Highest attendance	75,368 (Manchester United vs. Aston Villa)
Lowest attendance	19,242 (Swansea City vs. Stoke City)

 

AWARDS

PFA Players’ Player of the Year	Luis Suarez (Liverpool FC)
PFA Young Player of the Year	Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Football Writers’ Award	Luis Suarez (Liverpool FC)
PFA Team of the Year	Petr Cech, Gary Cahill, Vincent Kompany, Seamus Coleman, Luke Shaw, Steven Gerrard, Yaya Toure, Adam Lallana, Eden Hazard, Daniel Sturridge, Luis Suarez
Manager of the Year	Tony Pulis (Crystal Palace)
Premier League Goal of the Season	Jack Wilshere (ARSENAL vs. Norwich City)

 

HAT-TRICK HEROES

Player	Teams	Score	Date
Luis Suarez	Liverpool FC vs. West Bromwich Albion	4-1	26th October 2013
Luis Suarez (4)	Liverpool FC vs. Norwich City	5-1	4th December 2013
Adam Johnson	Fulham vs. Sunderland	1-4	11th January 2014
Samuel Eto’o	Chelsea vs. Manchester United	3-1	19th January 2014
Eden Hazard	Chelsea vs. Newcastle United	3-0	8th February 2014
Andre Schurrle	Fulham vs. Chelsea	1-3	1st March 2014
Yaya Toure	Manchester City vs. Fulham	5-0	22nd March 2014
Luis Suarez	Cardiff City vs. Liverpool FC	3-6	22nd March 2014

 

TOP SCORERS

Position	Player	Teams	No of Goals
1	Luis Suarez	Liverpool FC	31
2	Daniel Sturridge	Liverpool FC	22
3	Yaya Toure	Manchester City	20
4=	Sergio Aguero	Manchester City	17
4=	Wayne Rooney	Manchester United	17
4=	Wilfried Bony	Swansea City	17
7=	Edin Dzeko	Manchester City	16
7=	Olivier Giroud	Arsenal	16
9=	Romelu Lukaku	Everton	15
9=	Jay Rodriguez	Southampton	15
11=	Eden Hazard	Chelsea	14
11=	Loic Remy	Newcastle United	14
13=	Steven Gerrard	Liverpool FC	13
13=	Rickie Lambert	Southampton	13
15	Robin van Persie	Arsenal	12
16	Emmanuel Adebayor	Tottenham Hotspur	11
17=	Aaron Ramsey	Arsenal	10
17=	Christian Benteke	Aston Villa	10
19=	Alvaro Negredo	Manchester City	9
19=	Raheem Sterling	Liverpool FC	9
19=	Samuel Eto’o	Chelsea	9
19=	Danny Welbeck	Manchester United	9
19=	Adam Lallana	Southampton	9
24=	Oscar	Chelsea	8
24=	Lukas Podolski	Arsenal	8

 

BIGGEST VICTORIES

Manchester City 7-0 Norwich City	2nd November 2013
Manchester City 6-0 Tottenham Hotspur	24th November 2013
Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal	22nd March 2014
Hull City 6-0 Fulham	28th December 2013
Manchester City 5-0 Fulham	22nd March 2014
Tottenham Hotspur 0-5 Liverpool FC	15th December 2013
Tottenham Hotspur 1-5 Manchester City	29th January 2014
Liverpool FC 5-1 Norwich City	4th December 2013
Liverpool FC 5-1 Arsenal	8th February 2014
Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 Sunderland	7th April 2014

 

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES

No of Goals	Teams	Date
9	Manchester City 6-3 Arsenal	14th December 2013
9	Cardiff City 3-6 Arsenal	22nd March 2014
8	Stoke City 3-5 Liverpool FC	12th January 2014
7	Manchester City 7-0 Norwich City	2nd November 2013
7	Liverpool FC 4-3 Swansea City	23rd February 2014
7	Sunderland 3-4 Chelsea	4th December 2013
7	Aston Villa 4-3 West Bromwich Albion	29th January 2014
6	Manchester City 6-0 Tottenham Hotspur	24th November 2013
6	Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal	22nd March 2014
6	Hull City 6-0 Fulham	28th December 2013
6	Tottenham Hotspur 1-5 Manchester City	29th January 2014
6	Liverpool FC 5-1 Norwich City	4th December 2013
6	Liverpool FC 5-1 Arsenal	8th February 2014
6	Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 Sunderland	7th April 2014
6	Newcastle United 5-1 Stoke City	26th December 2013
6	Fulham 2-4 Manchester City	21st December 2013
6	Manchester City 4-2 Cardiff City	18th January 2014
6	Southampton 4-2 Norwich City	15th March 2014
6	Everton 3-3 Liverpool FC	23rd November 2013
6	Crystal Palace 3-3 Liverpool FC	5th May 2014

 

YOUNGEST PLAYERS USED

Player	Teams	Age at the time	Date
Adam Armstrong	Fulham 1-0 Newcastle United	17 years, 1 month, 5 days	15th March 2014
Patrick Roberts	Manchester City 5-0 Fulham	17 years, 1 month, 17 days	22nd March 2014
Moussa Dembele	West Ham United 3-0 Fulham	17 years, 4 months, 18 days	30th November 2013
Chuba Akpom	Sunderland 1-3 Arsenal	17 years, 11 months, 5 days	14th September 2013
Tom James	Cardiff City 1-2 Chelsea	18 years, 26 days	11th May 2014
Luke Shaw	West Bromwich Albion 0-1 Southampton	18 years, 1 month, 5 days	17th August 2013
Declan John	West Ham United 2-0 Cardiff City	18 years, 1 month, 18 days	17th August 2013
Jordon Ibe	Liverpool FC 5-1 Arsenal	18 years, 2 months	8th February 2014
Serge Gnabry	Arsenal 3-1 Stoke City	18 years, 2 months, 8 days	22nd September 2013
Sam Gallagher	Newcastle United 1-1 Southampton	18 years, 2 months, 29 days	14th December 2013

 

OLDEST PLAYERS USED

Player	Teams	Age at the time	Date
Brad Friedel	Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Newcastle United	42 years, 5 months, 23 days	10th November 2013
Mark Schwarzer	Cardiff City 1-2 Chelsea	41 years, 7 months, 5 days	11th May 2014
Ryan Giggs	Manchester United 3-1 Hull City	40 years, 5 months, 7 days	6th May 2014
Kevin Phillips	Crystal Palace 1-4 Fulham	40 years, 2 months, 26 days	21st October 2013
Steve Harper	Aston Villa 3-1 Hull City	39 years, 1 month, 19 days	3rd May 2014
Jussi Jaaskelainen	Fulham 2-1 West Ham United	38 years, 8 months, 13 days	1st January 2014
Thomas Sorensen	West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Stoke City	37 years, 10 months, 29 days	11th May 2014
Kelvin Davis	Southampton 0-3 Chelsea	37 years, 3 months, 3 days	1st January 2014
Georgios Karagounis	Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Fulham	37 years, 1 month, 13 days	19th April 2014
Sylvain Distin	Hull City 0-2 Everton	36 years, 4 months, 25 days	11th May 2014

 

CLEAN SHEETS

Position	Player	Teams	No of Clean Sheets
1=	Petr Cech	Chelsea	16
1=	Wojciech Szczesny	Arsenal	16
3	Tim Howard	Everton	15
4=	Hugo Lloris	Tottenham Hotspur	14
4=	Artur Boruc	Southampton	14
6	Joe Hart	Manchester City	13
7=	David de Gea	Manchester United	12
7=	Julian Speroni	Crystal Palace	12
7=	John Ruddy	Norwich City	12
10	Vito Mannone	Sunderland	11

Memorable Matches: Everton 6-2 Sunderland (November 2015)

Goalscorers: Gerard Deulofeu 19, Arouna Kone 31, 62, 76, Jermain Defoe 45, Steven Fletcher 50, Sebastian Coates 55 OG, Romelu Lukaku 60

Teams:

Everton: Tim Howard, Seamus Coleman, Ramiro Funes Mori, Bryan Oviedo (Brendan Galloway 25), John Stones, Gareth Barry, James McCarthy, Ross Barkley, Gerard Deulofeu (Kevin Mirallas 65), Arouna Kone, Romelu Lukaku (Leon Osman 78)

Sunderland: Costel Pantilimon, Wes Brown, Sebastian Coates, Billy Jones, Patrick van Aanholt, DeAndre Yedlin (Sebastian Larsson 64), Lee Cattermole (Jack Rodwell 38), Yann M’Vila, Adam Johnson, Jermain Defoe, Steven Fletcher (Duncan Watmore 75)

Referee: Andre Marriner, Attendance: 36,617

Everton came into this match against Sunderland needing to find some consistency in the Premier League. Roberto Martinez’s side were one of the best counter-attacking teams in the division but were struggling to put teams away. Sunderland were coming off the back of a morale-boosting Tyne & Wear Derby victory seven days earlier. This was Everton’s first home match since the funeral of their most successful manager, Howard Kendall and in his memory, both teams put in a magical match.

It was Sunderland who made the brighter start and on his recall to the side, Patrick van Aanholt was desperately unlucky after just three minutes, striking the post. The visitors continued to do the early pressing with Tim Howard making quick saves to deny Jermain Defoe and Steven Fletcher, whilst the woodwork saved the home side from going behind for a second time. On 19 minutes, the Toffees were infront. Gerard Deulofeu scored his first goal since returning to the club from Barcelona. Arouna Kone’s excellent pass found him in space and he calmly slotted the ball into the net.

Kone doubled the lead with his third goal of the season just past the half-hour. Exchanging passes with strike partner Romelu Lukaku, Kone’s left-footed drive found the roof of the net. Right on the stroke of half-time though, Sunderland got back into the game. Sebastian Coates’ long-ball found Defoe who was braver to win the challenge against John Stones. He showed great composure to avoid Ramiro Funes Mori’s sliding tackle and via a deflection off Stones, his shot beat Howard.

Sunderland deservedly levelled the scores five minutes into the second half. Van Aanholt’s right-footed cross was inch-perfect and Fletcher wanted it more than Funes Mori, planting his header into the bottom corner of the net. There always looked like more goals would come and Everton regained their lead on 55 minutes. Deulofeu’s teasing ball into the box was diverted into his own net by Uruguayan defender Coates, who was attempting to stop Lukaku from reaching the cross.

Deulofeu was having a brilliant game, despite being booked for a daft dive. His superb pass on the hour mark found Lukaku who sped past Wes Brown and the Belgian rounded Costel Pantilimon to register his fourth goal in his last five matches.

Sunderland’s ambition had now caught up with them. James McCarthy’s devastating reverse pass found Kone and the striker found the net for his second of the afternoon. Everton had now scored three goals in the space of seven second half minutes. There was still time for Kone to complete his hat-trick. Lukaku’s brilliant ball into the six-yard box found the head of Kone who scored his first treble for Everton and became one of the more unlikely hat-trick heroes in Premier League history. He deserved it for an all-round action performance.

Sunderland did gain revenge later in the season with a 3-0 victory over the Toffees in May which ensured their Premier League safety and condemned Roberto Martinez to the sack. This though was Everton and Arouna Kone’s day on a goal-filled afternoon.

Iconic Moments: Sunderland’s own goal treble (February 2003)

In February 2003, Sunderland looked to be in serious relegation trouble. The Black Cats were in the bottom three and hadn’t won since surprising Liverpool FC two months earlier. However, the home faithful still believed they could record three points against Charlton Athletic. No side had recorded more away wins in the 2002-2003 season at this stage than Charlton. They had every reason to be confident of chalking up another three points on Wearside. However, they were about to get a huge helping hand from their opponents.

There were four goals scored in the match and all of them were scored by Sunderland. Unfortunately, three of them were for Charlton! A horrific eight-minute spell saw the Addicks into a 3-0 lead without them needing to score themselves past Sunderland goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.

Charlton took the lead after 24 minutes. Mark Fish’s weak effort took two deflections on its way into Sorensen’s net. The right heel of defender Stephen Wright got the final touch. One own goal in a match can be considered as unfortunate. Two own goals look rather silly. Five minutes later, Chris Powell’s shot was stopped by Sorensen but came off Michael Proctor and trickled into the net. Worse was to come.

Sunderland’s horrific treble was completed by Proctor again. From another Charlton corner, a flick-on at the near post came off Proctor’s back who had turned his back away from the ball. It spun into the net to complete a hat-trick of own goals.

Some of the crowd already started to leave before half-time. Howard Wilkinson’s side did score one at the right end but lost 3-1. They wouldn’t win again all season and with misfortune like this, it wasn’t a surprise that Sunderland were relegated, having recorded just 19 points.