Sunderland 2 Stoke City 0 Reid re-born as Sunderland strike late

ARE we seeing the birth of the new, responsible Andy Reid? The Dubliner might still have something to prove to Giovanni Trapattoni but more displays like this — which blended authority and effervescence in equal measure — and even the Italian will struggle to remain immune to his qualities.

Reid was the driving force behind a victory that left Sunderland seven points clear of the bottom three and took their tally from the last three league games to a creditable seven points. Reid, for his part, is now anxious to ensure that standards do not drop as they prepare for tough away trips to Arsenal and Liverpool.

“It’s a massive result, especially when you look at some of the results that came in on Saturday,” Reid said.

“You look at where we are in the table and it gives us a bit of comfort, not that we will be switching off.

“But maybe it will give us a little bit of leeway to settle down and express ourselves a little bit more.”

Goals from Kenwyne Jones — his ninth of the season — and substitute David Healy inside the last 13 minutes were enough for Sunderland to claim the points, but went nowhere near to telling the whole story of an eventful contest.

Referee Rob Styles once again found himself in the spotlight when he failed to spot substitute Danny Pugh blocking Steed Malbranque’s 39th-minute header on the line with his arm, an offence which should have resulted in a penalty and, according to the rules, a red card. Stoke were eventually reduced to 10 men after 64 minutes when Styles sent off Matthew Etherington for kicking out at Danny Collins.

City boss Tony Pulis urged the official to reconsider his decision, although he had little choice. Instead, Stoke’s biggest problem remains their dire away record

SUNDERLAND (4-4-2): Fulop 7, Bardsley 7, Ferdinand 7, Collins 8, McCartney 7, Malbranque 6 (Edwards 70, 5), Whitehead 6, Richardson 6, Reid 8 (Murphy 82, 5), Jones 7, Cisse 6 (Healy 86, 7).

Subs Not Used: Gordon, Ben-Haim, Leadbitter, Davenport.

STOKE (4-4-2): Sorensen 6, Wilkinson 5 (Pugh 18, 5), Shawcross 6 (Sonko 26, 5), Abdoulaye Faye 6, Kelly 6, Cresswell 6, Whelan 7, Diao 6, Etherington 4, Fuller 4(Camara 30, 5), Beattie 6.

Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Olofinjana, Lawrence, Kitson.

REFEREE: Rob Styles (Hampshire) 3: How he missed Danny Pugh’s handball on the line is anyone’s guess.

MATCH RATING: ** Pretty uninspired, although Sunderland were worthy winners.