Forty points before the end of February may represent job done as far as some West Bromwich Albion supporters will be concerned, but with Romelu Lukaku in their ranks the Baggies' ambitions must surely have a European dimension.
The Chelsea loanee scored twice and, while the first was a penalty, the second spoke volumes about his pace, power and persistence. Given there was an involuntary element, the Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet striking an attempted clearance against the Albion striker only to see it rebound into the net, it was also lucky, but Lukaku had worked so hard in the buildup he deserved his good fortune.
Albion's lineup was, unsurprisingly, unchanged from the one that beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield in their previous game. In that respect it reflected the personnel and formation that Steve Clarke favoured in the early part of the season, which meant the fit-again Youssouf Mulumbu and Claudio Yacob screening the defence, with Chris Brunt and James Morrison giving supporting width to the attacking pair of Lukaku and Shane Long.
Martin O'Neill handed Danny Graham his first start for Sunderland in a team that also featured Steven Fletcher, Stéphane Sessègnon and Adam Johnson. More than enough attacking talent to improve a record of just 28 goals in their previous 26 league games, one would have thought, but the early stages epitomised O'Neill's problems. There was plenty of effort, and indeed flexibility in terms of formation, but nothing of substance was created.
With Albion also struggling to find any sort of rhythm, the opening period was beginning to drag when Sunderland came within inches of going ahead. In possession 30 yards out, Graham turned and played a neat, short ball to Fletcher. The Scotland striker has scored some classy goals this season, and very nearly did so again when from around 20 yards, he unhurriedly and carefully sidefooted a shot beyond the Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster and against the base of the post. Less admirable was the manner in which, when the ball finally found its way back to him, he volleyed it over.
The game had come alive though, and Albion responded to the near-miss in some style. Mulumbu, having escaped his marker inside the six-yard box, somehow headed Liam Ridgewell's cross wide, and soon afterwards Lukaku put the ball in the net only to realise referee Roger East had already blown for a foul on Morrison. If that was an injustice, Mr East soon made up for it. Whether Ridgewell's cross struck Gardner's hand was hard to be certain, but arguably the Sunderland full-back only had himself to blame for jumping to block with his arms flailing. Lukaku sent Simon Mignolet the wrong way from the spot.
For all their dominance as the half progressed, Albion were still only one ahead at the break, and the fragility of the lead was emphasised shortly after the restart when a Sunderland corner somehow made its way through a crowded penalty area to Sessègnon at the far post. With minimal time to react, the Benin international managed to direct the ball back behind Foster but Mulumbu, on the line, cleared the danger.
Graham himself, at full stretch, just failed to turn a low cross past Foster soon afterwards, but Sunderland's need to press forward suited Albion, in many respects a team set up to play on the break. Brunt, having caught Larsson in possession, set up Lukaku for a shot which Mignolet did well to beat away. Titus Bramble did just enough to prevent Morrison turning a Graham Dorrans cross past Mignolet soon afterwards, but Bramble usually has a mistake up his sleeve somewhere, and he came up with a humdinger when his back-pass gave the charging Lukaku the chance to put Mignolet under severe pressure.
The goalkeeper got there first, but only just, and his attempted clearance rebounded firmly off Lukaku's foot and into the net. The element of fortune was obvious, but Lukaku had made his own luck with his strength and determination in beating John O'Shea and putting first Bramble and then Mignolet under pressure.
O'Neill swiftly made changes, and five minutes later James McClean's half-cleared cross enabled Sessègnon to guide a shot beyond Foster and Ridgewell on the line to give Sunderland hope.
They had their chances too, most notably when Bramble set up McClean in added time. The winger could not keep the ball down.
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