Having thrown away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 against Crystal Palace, winless Sunderland could well be facing relegation at the end of the season.
Sunderland’s loss to Crystal Palace felt significant. Having been 2-0 up, and at home no less, the Black Cats crumbled while the Eagles soared, winning the game 3-2.
The result left them bottom of the league with just a solitary point after six games, and things are looking bleak for David Moyes’ side.
The manner of this defeat was the most galling thing for Sunderland fans. There is no shame in defeat to Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, and while their other three defeats (to newly promoted Middlesborough, Everton, and Spurs) were difficult to take in their own way, this game put the cherry on the proverbial cake. In a bad way.
Jermain Defoe, who kept Sunderland up almost single-handedly last season, scored his second goal on the hour mark to put his team two goals to the good. All everyone else had to do was to hang on for half an hour.
The two-goal cushion lasted less than a minute, and proved surmountable anyway.
That’s now twice in two games that Sunderland have played well enough to have earned points from a match and not been able to bring them home.
Jordan Pickford produced the performance of his career against Tottenham, and deserved to earn his team a point, but one defensive lapse gifted Harry Kane a goal and lost them the match.
This is particularly worrying. When you are playing badly and lose, it is frustrating, but also brings with it the hope of playing better. However, when you are playing reasonably well, as Sunderland did for spells against both Palace and Spurs, and still lose – that is when you start to look down at the drop.
David Moyes will be under immense pressure to get a win, and fast. Defoe will keep doing what he does best, and Moyes would be wise build his team around the striker and hope that a combination of decent service and reasonable defending is enough to claim three points.
Their next game against West Brom is a big one, but Moyes will have his eyes on fellow strugglers Stoke City the game after. If a point against West Brom can be followed up with a first win of the season against Stoke, they maybe there will be a platform to build on.
Six games in is very early to be proclaiming doom and gloom, but it already looks like it’s going to be a long, long season for Sunderland.
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