Sunderland possess both a Jordi and a Geordie. For much of the season the pair have made minimal impact but under Dick Advocaat’s intelligent tutelage, Jordi Gómez and the Gateshead-born Danny Graham are suddenly, unexpectedly, emerging as potential saviours.
A free transfer from Wigan last summer, Gómez is not only keeping the £10m Jack Rodwell on the sidelines but also used his left foot to raise Wearside’s survival hopes by scoring two penalties Graham had played a big part in winning.
In past months Sunderland have poured considerable, if forlorn, effort into attempting to offload the former Middlesbrough, Hull, Carlisle and Swansea striker, who had become an almost forgotten man. Yet deployed in the centre of a front three, Graham thoroughly eclipsed his more celebrated team-mate Jermain Defoe, holding the ball up superbly. “It certainly was a good day for Jordi and Geordie,” he joked. It leaves Sunderland third bottom, a point short of Leicester and Hull and just two in arrears of Newcastle and Aston Villa.
Graham received the warmest of ovations from home supporters. “It meant a lot,” he said. “It’s been a tough couple of years here, there have been a lot of low points so to hear the fans singing my name was a huge lift. They were chanting it. I was really touched. I’ve been out on loan several times, out of the squad, I didn’t even travel to Portugal [on pre-season tour] last summer so it’s been tough.”
After being caught in the face by José Fonte’s high boot as he challenged the Southampton defender for a dropping ball and prepared to head goalwards, Graham watched Gómez kick low and unerringly into the bottom corner to give Advocaat’s side a lead they squandered within a minute.
An awful communication breakdown between Costel Pantilimon and Sebastián Coates resulted in Pantilimon spilling what should have been a routine catch. As chaos engulfed Sunderland’s defence and John O’Shea joined his goalkeeper and Coates in falling over, Sadio Mané turned the ball into an unguarded net.
No matter; Gómez and Graham were ready to ride to the rescue. When the influential Lee Cattermole – very much the catalyst behind Sunderland’s high-industry, high-intensity, pressing game – regained possession around the halfway line he surged forward before finding Graham, who did brilliantly to hold the ball up and play Defoe in. His first touch was very poor yet, before he could shoot, James Ward-Prowse ran into him.
The challenge probably merited only a yellow card but Ward-Prowse was sent off and Gómez held his nerve to defy Kelvin Davis with another successful penalty. “The pressure Jordi must have been under, particularly for that second penalty, was unbelievable,” said Graham. “Doing it once in that situation is hard but twice – wow. He was so cool. I was probably more nervous watching him.”
Although Southampton perked up after Ward-Prowse’s dismissal and Pantilimon was required to make an excellent reflex save to deny Toby Alderweireld in stoppage time, Ronald Koeman’s European ambitions were left diminished.
On a day when Gómez’s midfield passing proved as accurately assured as anyone’s and the Barcelona academy product really lived up to his “Mackem Fàbregas” moniker, Southampton’s manager was annoyed by uncharacteristically aimless performances from too many of the players who had thrashed Sunderland 8-0 in October.
After the win Advocaat was asked if he “had enough in the dressing room” to avert relegation, and the beaming Dutchman offered a ready reply. “Yes, definitely,” he said. “I’m there – and 18 players.”
Turning serious, Gus Poyet’s successor acknowledged just how fine the margins remain. “If we’d lost it would have been very difficult,” he said. “We had to win.”
Man of the match Jordi Gómez (Sunderland)
