Brian Brobbey scored the winning goal as Sunderland completed a stunning comeback to beat 10-man Bournemouth 3-2 in the Premier League.
The Black Cats continue to be the surprise package on their return to the top flight, and remain unbeaten at the Stadium of Light this season.
But inside 15 minutes, that looked to be in doubt as Sunderland found themselves 2-0 down. There were some slices of luck about Bournemouth’s opener, with Evanilson’s initial shot pinging off the crossbar. Amine Adli was then waiting to poke home from close range.
The headlines would have belonged to Tyler Adams too after he scored the Cherries’ second from the halfway line on his 50th appearance for the club. He spotted Robin Roefs off his line and tried his luck, beating him with a fantastic hit that left the goalkeeper in a heap inside the goal.
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Tyler Adams scored a 47-yard wonder goal for Bournemouth at the Stadium of Light
But the lead would not last as Sunderland were awarded a penalty just before the half hour. Alex Scott caught Reinildo on the calf as the two were almost back to back, with the referee pointing to the spot. There was a lengthy VAR review in the aftermath too, which stuck with the on-field decision.
Enzo Le Fee then began the fightback, going high into the net with a super penalty which sparked life back into the Stadium of Light.
And less than a minute after the break, Sunderland were level. It was some brilliant play from Bertrand Traore and Granit Xhaka in the build-up, with the Black Cats captain playing a wonderful disguised pass for his team-mate. It was then a low finish from Traore for his first Sunderland goal.
The game continued apace, and less than 10 minutes after coming on, Brobbey completed the comeback. It came from a corner which the forward nodded home.
Brian Brobbey celebrates after his winning goal for Sunderland against Bournemouth
But the drama was not finished. There was a lengthy spell of added time at the end of the second half and, with mere minutes to play, Lewis Cook was shown a straight red card after elbowing Reinildo. In a game that had 10 yellow cards – not including a couple for the Bournemouth bench and Andoni Iraola himself – a sending off was perhaps no surprise.
The result saw Sunderland move into the top four ahead of the remaining games this weekend, while Bournemouth slip into ninth place. After a good start to the season, the Cherries will now end November without a win.
Iraola: The referee absolutely lost control of the game
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Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola believes referee Tim Robinson lost control of the match in his side’s defeat to Sunderland.
Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola to Sky Sports: “We’re disappointed. We knew the game was going to be difficult and when you are 2-0 up and playing well, you want to finish it but it was definitely too early.
“The momentum of the game changes with the penalty… everyone puts on pressure with the atmosphere and after, we conceded in the first minute of the second half.
“There is a part where we need to look at ourselves. We conceded from two set-plays and the penalty, and there is a part where I think the referee has absolutely lost control of the game.
“It has been difficult for us to keep our heads without big complaints.”
On Sunderland’s penalty: “I think there is a foul to Tavernier five seconds before. There is a push from behind – it’s very clearly a foul.
“If you are not going to call the foul because you accept the contact, then you cannot call the penalty too. It was an important moment of the game but it wasn’t about the penalty. After that, he’s lost control of the game.
“It’s a shame… there might be decisions that are wrong or I might not agree with, but you cannot lose control of the game after the decision.”
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Tim Sherwood was not best pleased after Evanilson decided to knock in a goal that was already ‘going in’ in Bournemouth’s game against Sunderland, making it offside
On the number of yellow cards, including his own: “If you’re a Bournemouth supporter or you wear the badge… everyone would have got a yellow card or a red card because you have to defend the players.
“It’s going to cost us for the next game because we will have three players suspended [Marcos Sensi, David Brooks and Lewis Cook], but we cannot accept it.
“But I’m disappointed with us because we haven’t defended set-plays and with the referee because he’s lost absolute control of the game.”
Le Bris: Energy at Stadium of Light can help us change dynamic of games
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris to Sky Sports: “A great afternoon for our fans, for our players and the club. Starting the game 2-0 down and being able to win this game shows great character.”
On being worried at 2-0 down: “A bit to be fair. We made two mistakes and got punished really quickly because this league is so demanding.
“After that, we felt it was possible to create with the ball… maybe we were not efficient at the beginning but we thought it was possible to damage the defence.
Bertrand Traore scored the equalising goal for Sunderland
“The fans are important, we know that. The energy in this stadium is huge and we tried to connect our game model with this energy because we can generate momentum and change the dynamic of the game.”
On Granit Xhaka: “Granit is so important for us. He gives us his knowledge but also this willingness to change the game, to be proactive, to take risks. Sometimes tactically, you can discuss but on the pitch, it’s so impressive.”
