Sunderland Beat Bournemouth 3-2 in Five-Goal Stadium of Light Thriller
Key Takeaways
- Fourth-placed Sunderland overcame early two-goal deficit against ninth-placed Bournemouth.
- Enzo Le Fée converted penalty and assisted winning goal in comeback.
- Lewis Cook received red card for violent conduct in stoppage time.
Sunderland Beat Bournemouth 3-2 in Five-Goal Stadium of Light Thriller
Fourth-placed Sunderland completed a remarkable comeback to defeat ninth-placed AFC Bournemouth 3-2 at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats overturned a two-goal deficit to claim three crucial points that maintain their strong position in the Premier League table.
Bournemouth struck twice in the opening half-hour to establish commanding control. Amine Adli opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Tyler Adams doubled the visitors' advantage in the 15th minute, firing a spectacular right-footed effort from more than 35 yards to the bottom left corner following a fast break.
Sunderland began their fightback when Enzo Le Fée converted a penalty in the 30th minute, sending his right-footed shot to the high centre of the goal. The hosts levelled immediately after the interval as Bertrand Traoré struck a left-footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom right corner, assisted by Granit Xhaka following a set piece situation. Brian Brobbey completed the turnaround in the 69th minute, heading home from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner after Enzo Le Fée delivered a cross following a corner.
Bournemouth dominated possession with 57.2 percent and registered 18 shots compared to Sunderland's 12. Both teams managed six shots on target, with goalkeepers making crucial saves throughout the encounter. Marcus Tavernier struck the crossbar for Bournemouth in the 85th minute as the visitors pushed desperately for an equaliser.
The match turned increasingly fractious in the closing stages, with multiple yellow cards issued to players from both sides. Lewis Cook received a red card for violent conduct in the sixth minute of stoppage time, reducing Bournemouth to ten men as Sunderland held on for victory.
Sunderland will next host Liverpool on December 3, while AFC Bournemouth travel to face Everton on December 2.