Sunderland produce a very worthy goal of the season contender with a superb team goal as Paul Ince slams his Reading side.
Reading lost their 100 per cent home league record as they fell to a damning 3-0 defeat against the Black Cats who dominated most of the first half without creating too much until Patrick Roberts netted twice in as many minutes just before the interval.
Jack Clarke effectively settled the game in the 69th minute, latching onto a superb Dan Neil cross to slot home.
Reading had won all their previous four league games at the Select Car Leasing Stadium and had also won four of their past five Championship outings.
Sunderland had collected 11 points from their opening eight fixtures in the second tier, they now climb into the playoff places, in 6th position, while Reading sit 4th.
Paul Ince admitted his side were given a firm reality check after the 3-0 home defeat by Sunderland on Wednesday night.
Ince said: “It looked a tired – which we shouldn’t be saying as we had the Watford game called off – and nervous performance. It’s disappointing. You can’t win all your games but I said to the lads a couple of days ago, we need to be on it. We’re not good enough not to be on it.
“From the first minute, we were nervous, defending deep. We didn’t get into midfield, onto the second balls and we weren’t competitive or aggressive enough. They wanted it more than us. We didn’t hold the ball up up front and all the things that have got us to where we are now, was not there so that’s disappointing.
“Maybe it’s a good result for us as it gets everyone back on the ground. Our target is to stay in the league and because we’ve had such a good start you hear people talking about play-offs and all that crap. I could just sense it around the stadium, the club…maybe the players too. You’ve won four on the bounce at home and playing Sunderland who have only just come up, maybe they got nervous but I don’t know why because it’s only nine games into the season.
“All that talk – I don’t like it. People getting over the top. This has brought us back down to earth. We have to stay in the league and to do that we have to compete and fight to win. You have to do the basics but we didn’t do that. The disappointing thing is if you go back to Rotherham and Sheffield United – when we concede two goals we capitulate.
“We are mentally weak – people start doing their own thing, become individuals – and that’s going back to last year. The only way we can get results is if we do the basics right. We did nothing like that. We had a couple of chances – Fornah and Meite should have scored – but we’re losing headers at the back to Pritchard who is 5ft 7in. We didn’t win anything in midfield or hold anything up top. There is not one player on the pitch who can say he had a good game.
“They were hungrier than us, showed more desire and determination…I’ve told them that, get your feet back on the ground, focus on staying in the league, be competitive and we’ll re-address it in March. I won’t be too harsh because if we look at it – four wins out of five at home and 15 points – you’d take it all day long. But it’s the manner of the defeats I don’t like and this was that time.
“Hopefully it’s come at the right time. People can get their feet back on the ground and need to understand where we are. We have a threadbare squad and it’s going to be a tough season so this is a wake-up call for everybody.”
Sunderland’s Tony Mowbray said: “I think that we controlled the game tonight with the ball rather than with physicality. The team played well and I spoke this week that people had to step up and we had to score goals from different places. Patrick grabbed that nettle and did just that for us. And Jack Clarke as well.
“It was a good display. Despite their unblemished home record this season, we looked at them and believed that, if everyone did the basics well, we could win tonight. It’s good to score three goals in front of all our (travelling) supporters. It’s amazing to see how many people had come down from Sunderland on a Wednesday night. But that doesn’t really surprise me about this club. It’s a massive beast, really, and we just need to keep trying to feed it.”
Tony Mowbray reflects on tonight’s big win at Reading.
Full interview… 📺👇 pic.twitter.com/GdV8KWGNQ8
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) September 14, 2022
There was plenty of reaction as Sunderland produce a goal of the season contender while Paul Ince slams his Reading side…
@Kieran_Nufc21: Newcastle fan but tbf that was quite a satisfying goal to watch.
@RBO1991: That is some goal 👏🏼
@StewH_: Liquid football ❤️
@ChristopherT198: Alexa play Paint your Wagon 🔴⚪️🔴⚪️
@jakesafcftm: absolute liquid football, a top team in europe does that and it’s talked about non stop
@tjbrown___: Pep has posters of tony mowbray on his wall
@scurrsy: young hungry players not over the hill journey men.
@scottysmith81: The Entertainer’s 🔴⚪️
@11tomcull: Jack Clarke banging the goals in, he’s got his wiings back at Sunderland
@joestone95: Get them back in the premier league. It’s time 🕺🏻
@DB19888: Some goal that, these young lads are mustard
@DeclanWelch: Can’t stop watching this. What a goal man.
@marrinlr: When they’re good, they’re bloody good,… but when they’re excellent, they’re FUCKING CLASS
@irisdunn20: We’re literally playing with NO strikers just to give teams a chance in this tin pot league. Sunderland are just massive.
@medwaymakem: Barcelona in disguise 😀 Ha Way The Lads
@airz1879: Who are they and what did they do with my team 😂💪🏻
@AaronSheikh: The disappointing thing is this goal won’t be spoken about because it’s Sunderland! What a fluid team goal! A coaches dream 🤩
@Yarnsey: NUFC fan, and not ashamed to say that is a magnificent goal. What a ball into the box and a great touch and finish. Perfect example of counter attacking football. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
@SunderlanDave: 3 excellent goals but that was sublime… They happen all the time on the training pitch at all clubs but rarely does it come off in a game … Well done #SAFC
@colinsm49915463: Outstanding 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
@Dazzle777Razzle: Credit where it’s due that’s a really good goal
@gazlar75: The mowbray effect
@Wrighty0511: That’s peak Tony Mowbray football.
@denman71: Unreal goal, hope they go up they deserve to be a Prem team
@Firthy_6: Rate goal that tbh
@DavidSm04713543: Hats off to them like. Made the jump from league one and pretty much bossed every game they’ve played. Only issue they will have of gan up is how young the team is.
@PawlMartin: Quality goal tbf…. from a Newcastle fan 👏
@tdowson_: Quite possibly the greatest goal in the history of football
@Brysa08: 8 different players touched the ball, only 3 had 2 touches, the rest 1 touch. If this is Liverpool/Man City the pundits are creaming over it. Best goal we’ll see this season. End of. #SAFC
@1965ftm: No matter who you support, love football, love that goal
@MRodge99: Simply don’t believe that we scored that
@xLawreex: Mowbray doing Mowbray things while we are stuck with Steve Bruce who we don’t excel with at either end of the pitch. It absolutely breaks me seeing a newly promoted club manage to get Mowbray and play such football while we waste time with Bruce #wba
@JoeCain92: Book the open top bus. Give Tony the keys 🔑🔴⚪️🔴⚪️🔴
@Suffolk_Mackem: This goal is brought to you by Sunderland’s transfer and player development policy and is one more reason why we must stick to the plan. Absolutely lovely football. #safc
— Jer🔴⚪ (@jiander62) September 14, 2022
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