The Match: United started slowly and with nothing except Europa League qualification to play for, the match lacked intensity in the opening exchanges. In contrast, Sunderland’s played with their Barclays Premier League survival at stake and, as a result, the Black Cats performed as if their very lives were at stake, chasing every ball and limiting the Reds to just a handful of half-chances. While this match was by no means a classic, nor was it very entertaining, Gus Poyet will feel proud of his players for securing a hard-fought away win at Old Trafford.
The Goals: After a drab opening, Sunderland eventually broke the deadlock in the 30th minute as Seb Larsson latched onto Premier League Player of the Month Connor Wickham’s cross to volley into the bottom corner of David De Gea’s goal. The Spanish goalkeeper looked dejected, though he could have done little to have stopped the Swede’s perfectly executed finish.
