Sunderland and Stoke have edged a point away from Burnley following a goalless draw at the Stadium of Light.
Chances few and far between at Stadium of Light
Sunderland and Stoke have edged a point away from third-from-bottom Burnley following a goalless draw at the Stadium of Light.
Chances were few and far between on Wearside as The Black Cats failed to break down Tony Pulis' well-organised Potters.
Dean Whitehead's early chance was Stoke's best opportunity of the game, but he could only find Craig Gordon from Tuncay's neat flick.
Things looked like they might boil over before half time when Whitehead kicked out at Lee Cattermole following a thunderous bone-crunching challenge.
Stoke started the second half positively, however, their pressure fizzled out and Sunderland finished the match stronger without really threatening.
In just the third minute, good work from Tuncay and slack defending from Sunderland allowed Whitehead to break through on goal.
The midfielder should have done much better with the space he had but Craig Gordon smothered well.
Matt Kilgallon was coping well under the high ball on his home debut, while at the other end visiting captain Abdoulaye Faye produced a fine tackle to quiet an early Sunderland attack.
No power
Kenwyne Jones forced Thomas Sorensen into action in the 10th minute after Michael Turner nodded Andy Reid's free-kick into his path, but there was not enough power on the shot.
Sunderland were starting to settle and Steed Malbranque fizzed an effort just wide of the post before Ryan Shawcross was forced into a smart clearance.
Faye went down injured after 15 minutes and could not continue. Andy Wilkinson was sent on his place and also took the armband.
Cattermole attempted to start a quick Sunderland counter-attack in the 22nd minute but Salif Diao was on hand with the saving challenge.
John Mensah almost played Stoke in after dallying on the right touchline but he made amends by dispossessing Glenn Whelan.
Cattermole was doing well in the centre for Sunderland but there was little craft from either side to match his energy.
A clever dummy from Darren Bent in the 31st minute gave Malbranque the chance to test Sorensen, but having taken the ball down neatly his shot lacked venom.
Jones twice felt he had been held in the penalty area but referee Howard Webb was unmoved, despite the crowd's protests.
Spotlight
Webb was under the spotlight again when he, perhaps leniently, handed Whitehead a booking for kicking out at Cattermole following a heavy tackle.
Two minutes after the restart Stoke had two fine chances in quick succession.
First Mamady Sidibe almost converted following a chipped Whelan free-kick, then Whitehead attempted to drill home the loose ball only for Mensah to deflect it over the crossbar from point-blank range.
Whitehead continued to keep his old team busy though and Kilgallon produced a perfectly-timed slide to halt his 50th-minute run.
Steve Bruce's side hit back on the break five minutes later, when Jones freed Bent with a weighted pass that caught Stoke cold.
The England striker chased down the ball at the byline but the Potters rallied well to clear his cross.
Bent also had a strong penalty appeal turned down after 61 minutes when Robert Huth appeared to stop his lofted pass with his arm.
With 21 minutes left Bruce called on Bolo Zenden and Fraizer Campbell, with Reid and Malbranque making way.
A skiddy Zenden corner caused panic in the Stoke area three minutes after his arrival, but there were no red and white shirts on hand to poke home the loose ball.
Stoke substitute Rory Delap also did well seconds afterwards, heading Etherington's deep ball across goal where Gordon claimed.
The former Republic of Ireland international then had the chance to send in a trademark long throw but Jones rose well to clear.
A sprinting Ricardo Fuller almost broke the deadlock with nine minutes to play but Gordon stood firm to parry, while Huth headed wide from a 90th-minute corner.
| Sunderland |
Team Statistics |
Stoke City |
| 0 |
Goals |
0 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 1 |
Shots off Target |
1 |
| 3 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 7 |
Corners |
4 |
| 8 |
Fouls |
17 |
| 0 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
3 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 68.9 |
Passing Success |
52.5 |
| 26 |
Tackles |
19 |
| 73.1 |
Tackles Success |
68.4 |
| 55.1 |
Possession |
44.9 |
| 55.1 |
Territorial Advantage |
44.9 |
|
