Goals:

1-0: Gordon (46, moved ahead of his marker to apply the finish to Devlin’s low delivery from the right)

2-0: Ginnelly (52, curled a brilliant right foot effort inside McLaughlin’s top left corner from 20 yards)

2-1: McGeady (62, arched his body to finish low inside the bottom corner after Gooch’s find)

2-2: Gooch (89, turned in the area to pick out the bottom, far corner of Roberts’ net)

Bookings: Honeyman (53, dissent); Gooch (75, foul); Gordon (43, foul)

Sending-off: Power (23, serious foul play)

Referee: Craig Hicks (Surrey) – felt the abuse from Sunderland fans and got a number of decisions wrong. 4

Attendance: 7,868

Entertainment: ***

Wals Sund

Shots on 5 5

Shots off 10 5

Corners 3 14

Fouls 10 13

Offsides 3 2

WALSALL (4-4-2): Roberts 7; Devlin 7, Martin 6, Guthrie 5, Leahy 5; Ismail 6 (Morris 37, 5), Kinsella 6, Dobson 6, GINNELLY 7; Cook 6, Gordon 7 (Ferrier 80). Subs (not used): Dunn (gk), Fitzwater, Wilson, Osbourne, Ronan.

SUNDERLAND (4-2-3-1):

5 McLaughlin: Didn’t have too many saves to make and got nowhere near the two goals;

6 Matthews: Got forward, almost headed an equaliser moments before Gooch eventually did

5 Baldwin: Got his head on plenty without ever looking at his best

5 Flanagan: Dawdled in possession a few times and caught out for opener

6 James: Was asked to do plenty defending and delivered the cross for equaliser;

6 Honeyman: Unable to dictate play, but still worked hard after Power’s red

4 Power: left red faced again after his third sending off a foul on Kinsella;

8 GOOCH: Always looked hungry and got his reward

7 McGeady: Looked to make things happen and got the comeback started

5 Oviedo: Started brightly enough, faded as the game wore on;

5 Maja: Didn’t cause the sort of problems he is capable of

Subs

O’Nien (for Oviedo 49): Made Sunderland tick after his introduction. 7

Maguire (for Maja 61): Put himself about after harshly being left out. 6

(not used): Patterson (gk), Loovens, Sinclair, Ozturk, Mumba.

MAN OF THE MATCH: LYNDEN Gooch – deserved to be the man who earned a point for ten-man Sunderland late on.