On this day in 2009, Sunderland comfortably beat Hull City 4-1 to take them to 6th in the Premier League. Steve Bruce, who was managing us at the time, would later go on to take over at Hull along with a number of players.
Sunderland were captained by experienced defender Michael Turner, who had left the Tigers just a month earlier. He had a solid game and Fraizer Campell was a huge thorn in his former club’s side up front. Hull lined up with former Irish Black Cats, Paul McShane and Kevin Kilbane. A certain Jozy Altidore would be introduced from Hull’s bench. I wonder what ever happened to him...
The first goal occurred when Craig Fagan was penalised for handball, and summer signing Darren Bent walked up to the penalty spot. He smashed the ball into the bottom left corner, leaving Boaz Myhill with no chance.
Hull pulled it level from a corner, which Kamil Zayatte headed into the back of the net. The two sides went into half time at 1-1, but in the end it wasn’t much of a contest. Andy Reid put us back ahead with a perfectly timed, drilled half-volley into the bottom corner. It was his first Premier League goal of the season.
Darren Bent extended the lads’ lead with his second goal of the season. Steed Malbranque produced a lovely pass for Bent to latch onto. The striker drove forward and scored in typical Bent fashion, a powerful shot beyond the keeper. In the dying minutes of the match, Hull’s misery was compiled as Andy Reid took an in-swinging corner. Michael Turner claimed the goal as his own, but it later went down as a Kamil Zayatte own goal, meaning the Guinean defender had scored in both ends.
New signing Darren Bent had now scored four goals in five games, and things were looking up on Wearside. Despite a strong start to the season, a winless run (14 games) from November 2009 to March 2010 meant that we’d end up finishing a disappointing 13th. Bent hit 24 league goals, only bested by Drogba and Rooney, but still wasn’t called up for the 2010 World Cup. It all seemed a bit underwhelming, especially given Bruce’s promising start which included this drubbing of his future employers.
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