Sunderland cash in on McClean’s touch of good fortune

QUESTION: How do you know when things are going your way?

For James McClean, who can seem to do no wrong at present, the answer arrived 14 minutes into a contest that saw Sunderland earn a sixth victory in Martin O’Neill’s increasingly fruitful nine-game tenure.

Stephane Sessegnon, cutting in from the left, played the ball into the area towards the young Irishman, who failed to control the pass. Rather than the move break down, the 22-year-old’s lack of a deft touch merely turned into a perfect wall pass for his teammate, who continued his run to break the deadlock with a sublime finish from a diminishing angle. Here’s the delightfully partisan description of McClean’s role in the goal on the club’s official Twitter feed: “A praiseworthy contribution from McClean in the build-up. The two linked up superbly.” We’ll reserve judgment on that particular take.