Sunderland v Argyle

Report | Sunderland 2-2 Argyle

After Argyle fans – the group who travel the furthest in an EFL campaign – made their longest of many long trips during the season, Nathanael Ogbeta made their efforts worthwhile with a dramatic last-ditch equaliser at the Stadium of Light.

A key word in there: effort. After losing 5-0 at home to Burnley earlier in the week, a loss and performance which displeased everyone from Head Coach Miron Muslic downwards, this was an Argyle transformed, covering distances and playing with the heart we all want to see.

The Greens even took the lead, with a Ryan Hardie effort just about crossing the line – it may go down as an own-goal ultimately, but we like to credit strikers where we can – before Wilson Isidor equalised soon afterwards. 

Sunderland took the lead via a Trai Hume goal, and it looked like Argyle may leave empty-handed despite their endeavours, only for Ogbeta to pop up as the 90th minute elapsed and grab a deserved point.

After a five-goal defeat on Wednesday, there were five changes for Argyle as Conor Hazard, Jordan Houghton, Callum Wright, Mustapha Bundu and Matty Sorinola all came into the Pilgrims’ starting line-up.   

On the bench, Muhamed Tijani was named among the replacements, having last been in action for Argyle as a substitute against Luton Town on 27 September. 

Sunderland, as one might expect, started brightly, with plenty of the ball, but the first chance of the game went to – indeed, was gifted to – Argyle. Home goalkeeper Anthony Patterson kicked away, but only to Adam Randell, who fired a shot from distance, trying to catch Patterson out, but the grateful goalie pouched the effort in his retreat. 

It was to be Argyle’s only real chance of the period, but their first-half defensive display, at the home of a promotion-chasing side, was admirable.

For Sunderland, their most eye-catching threat in the opening knockings of the game was Enzo Le Fée. Making his home debut, the on-loan Roma wideman frequently got into good positions. From two low crosses, Hazard stopped the ball at the near post. From another, more angled, cutback, Dan Neil did not quite meet it on a stride, and the chance was lost.

Neil certainly timed an effort on 33 minutes, sending in a powerful effort after a bounce had teed it up for him. The strike was good, the save from Hazard, flying away to his right, was even better.

Hazard was also alive to an effort from left-back Dennis Cirkin, who was lurking at the far post to latch onto a deep delivery from the right, but found Hazard in his way.

At the very end of the half, a corner from the left seemed to evade everyone…except Wright, who must have had a heart-in-mouth moment, hoping desperately at the deflection off his shins did not end in a ball-in-corner-of-net moment. He was relieved – we all were - when the ball trickled wide.

After the break, it began as more of the same. Cirkin being foiled by a hugely committed block by Houghton, but then came Argyle’s best chance to that point. 

Houghton was involved at the other end, steering an unlikely but superb pass out to Bundu, who evaded his man with a body swerve, and sent in a glorious cross that picked out Hardie, but the Argyle number 9’s connection with his header was too deft, and the ball fell wide of the target.

Argyle, though, took an unlikely lead just before the hour mark. Randell picked up the ball in midfield, and drifted with it. Thoughts of long-range efforts and intricate through-passes probably floated in his mind, but he continued to wander, eventually reaching the right side, from where he chipped a cross into the middle.

Wright leapt, his header ricocheting against a defender and landing with Hardie, who clipped back across goal, and after taking a deflection or two, the ball reached the goal-line…

…and went over it, per referee Oliver Langford’s Hawkeye-connected wristwatch. After a second or five’s confusion, Argyle’s players realised the goal had been given, and turned to celebrated with 800 or so of the Green Army, literally high in the stands, and figuratively so having seen their team take the lead away from home.

The lead did not last long, however, with Isidor soon finding the net for Sunderland, converting first time from a ball from the right, and the combination of goals at either end served to enliven the home support, and open up the game.

In about 90 pivotal seconds, so the game turned. Wright did brilliantly to get beyond the backline, and send in a shot which Patterson got the thinnest of gloved contact to. The ball struck the inside of one post, spun across the six-yard area, and sauntered out for a goal-kick the other side of the opposite post. It was heartbreakingly close.

Even more so when Sunderland took the lead very soon afterwards. A free-kick on the left flank was sent in, fell to Hume, and he poked a shot through some bodies and into the corner of the net.

It felt cruel on Argyle, whose energy and application was in stark contrast to that seen three days earlier, in defeat to Millwall. Indeed, that attitude is likely what earned them a point their deserved.

Argyle had several chances to equalise, most notably from a Tymoteusz Puchacz cross which Randell flicked on, with the ball bouncing only just in front of substitute Michael Baidoo and going wide – and then they got their break. 

A free-kick from deep had been sent in to the danger area, and chaos ensued. Tijani, having come on to generate said chaos, was involved, as was Gyabi and Sorinola. Eventually the ball fell kindly to Ogbeta, arriving at the right time and smashing home the equaliser, bang on the 90-minite mark.

Six minutes of injury time were signalled, and Argyle continued to chase, harry and frustrate Sunderland, to see out the game. 

Point made. 

Argyle: 21 Conor Hazard, 2 Bali Mumba, 4 Jordan Houghton (18 Darko Gyabi, 78), 5 Julio Pleguezuelo (3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 78), 9 Ryan Hardie (30 Michael Baidoo, 66), 11 Callum Wright (28 Rami Al Hajj, 78), 15 Mustapha Bundu (26 Muhamed Tijani, 78), 17 Tymoteusz Puchacz, 20 Adam Randell (capt), 29 Matty Sorinola, 44 Victor Palsson. Substitutes: 31 Daniel Grimshaw (gk), 7 Ibrahim Cissoko, 34 Caleb Roberts, 35 Freddie Issaka. 

Goals: Hardie 59, Ogbeta 90

Booked: Pleguezuelo 28, Sorinola 53, Gyabi 79 

Sunderland: 1 Anthony Patterson, 3 Dennis Cirkin (5 Dan Ballard, 76), 4 Dan Neil (capt), 7 Jobe Bellingham, 10 Patrick Roberts (11 Chris Rigg, 76), 13 Luke O’Nien, 18 Wilson Isidor (33 Leo Hjelde, 87), 20 Salis Abdul Samed (12 Eliezer Mayenda, 61), 26 Chris Mepham, 28 Enzo Le Fée, 32 Trai Hume. Substitutes: 21 Simon Moore (gk), 22 Adil Aouchiche, 30 Milan Aleksic, 36 Ian Poveda, 50 Harrison Jones.

Goals: Isidor 61, Hume 73 

Booked: Isidor 72

Attendance: 41,097 (800 away approx.)

Referee: Oliver Langford