Filed under: Sunderland, West Brom, Premier League, Football, Match Previews
Paul Scharner's late winner capped a stunning comeback from West Brom to pile on the misery for Sunderland manager Steve Bruce.Albion showed bags of character to twice come from behind before Scharner fired home Peter Odemwingie's inviting cutback 18 minutes from time to cap a precision five-man move.
It stretched the Baggies' unbeaten run seven games to further ease their relegation fears as they leapfrogged Sunderland to go 10th.
But it's a different story for the out of form Black Cats, who continued their end of season slump with a latest defeat that has seen them take just one point from the last 24 to drag them into trouble.
West Brom's only clean sheet arrived in their single-goal victory over Sunderland in August, and their suspect defence lasted just 10 minutes before surrendering parity.
Steed Malbranque, one of four changes as Bruce kept his promise to shake things up in the wake of the 5-0 hammering at Manchester City, fed Asamoah Gyan down Sunderland's left.
The forward cut in to send over a cross right-footed which Nicky Shorey, under pressure from Ahmed Elmohamady, headed into his own net off the underside of the bar from eight yards to break Sunderland's seven-and-a-half hour goal drought.
Gyan fired narrowly wide on the turn from close range, and the unmarked Michael Turner failed to get a firm enough touch to a Malbranque free-kick as the hosts attempted to double their advantage, but it was the visitors who claimed the contest's second goal in the 28th minute.
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Jerome Thomas was given time and space to send over a cross from the left which Jonas Olsson flicked on inside the box. Odemwingie reacted first to the loose ball to prod home his 11th goal of the season from five yards.
Albion were level for less than three minutes as Phil Bardsley became the first Sunderland player to find the net for eight weeks, claiming his third goal of the season in spectacular style.
After a foul on Gyan, Kieran Richardson touched the ball to the former Manchester United defender, whose 30-yard shot found the top corner with the aid of a deflection off the wall to send the hosts into the break ahead.
For a second time, it was a lead they were unable to build on as Albion drew level again nine minutes after the re-start. Youssouf Mulumbu engineered a neat one-two with Odemwingie, and when the ball found its way back to the midfielder 12 yards out, his low show squeezed into the bottom corner with the help of a slight deflection off Turner.
A splendid save from Simon Mignolet blocked a point-blank header from Olsson, but it only delayed the inevitable as Albion's slick-passing game proved too much for the hosts and Scharner, who played under Bruce at Wigan, rounded off the comeback in style with an unerring finish.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/04/09/sunderland-2-west-brom-3-paul-scharner-peter-odemwingie/
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