Sam Allardyce defends 'safety first' approach against Bournemouth

Sunderland 1 Bournemouth 1

Allardyce’s side recovered from an awful start during which Benik Afobe gave Bournemouth the lead with a 13th-minute header – their eighth goal inside the opening 15 minutes this season.

The early setback dented the Black Cats’ fragile confidence further, but they gained a foothold when full-back Patrick van Aanholt fired home an equaliser in first-half injury time.