Moments you may have missed during Sunderland’s 2-1 defeat against Huddersfield Town at the Stadium of Light.
At the end of Sunderland’s dreadful performance against Huddersfield at the Stadium of Light, boos could be heard, with some fans venting their rage after a 2-1 defeat.
Following Delano Burgzorg’s victory in the 67th minute, the Black Cats plummeted to 11th in the Championship, four points outside a play-off berth. Here are some of the highlights you might have missed:
Set-piece troubles
While Sunderland controlled possession (76%), Huddersfield produced more clear-cut chances and posed a considerable threat from set-pieces through Sorba Thomas’ deliveries.
Sunderland, as usual, used a combination of zonal and man-to-man marking to open the scoring in the 28th minute from a corner. Huddersfield’s Tom Lees won the first header, beating Trai Hume in the air, before Michael Helik appeared to get away from Jenson Seelt and nodded the ball home. Sunderland has now given up four goals from corners this season.
Huddersfield goalscorer was about to be substituted
After Luke O’Nien equalized for Sunderland five minutes before halftime, the hosts generated some decent chances early in the second half.
Still, Huddersfield regained the lead again when Jaheim Headley’s blocked shot dropped to Burgzorg, who scored with a fast shot from the edge of the box. A minute later, the forward was replaced by Danny Ward, with Terriers manager Darren Moore confirming the replacement was planned prior to the goal.
Alex Pritchard’s reception
With his team trailing by one goal, Mowbray made four substitutions in the 74th minute, bringing on Alex Pritchard, Hemir Semedo, Bradley Dack, and Abdoullah Ba. Pritchard received the loudest applause from the home crowd of the four, confirming the playmaker’s popularity on Wearside.
Pritchard, 30, has started just four league games for Sunderland this season and is in the final year of his contract after assisting the club in gaining promotion from League One.
A late penalty appeal
After Dan Neil’s strike hit Huddersfield substitute Rarmani Edmonds-Green in the visitors’ area, Sunderland players were pushing for a late penalty for handball. With the player’s arm down by his side when the ball hit him from close range, the ruling would have been harsh.
Another injury concern
Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray made three changes to his starting lineup following Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Plymouth, with Eliezer Mayenda and Adil Aouchiche earning their debuts. Mayenda replaced Nazariy Rusyn in the starting lineup, as the Ukrainian was ruled out with a groin injury.
Chris Rigg back on Wearside
While Chris Rigg was not named to the Sunderland squad, he was back at the Stadium of Light after representing England at the Under-17s World Cup in Indonesia, where Ryan Garry’s side were eliminated by Uzbekistan.
Rigg, 16, has appeared in six Championship games for Sunderland this season, scoring in a 5-0 home win over Southampton in September. He could make his comeback when the Black Cats visit Millwall on Saturday.
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