Premier League: Sunderland make miracle escape
SUNDERLAND 2 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0
JUBILANT Sunderland manager Gus Poyet insists he now believes in miracles after his team clinched an extraordinary feat of Premier League escapology last night.
First-half goals from Jack Colback and Fabio Borini downed West Brom and earned the Black Cats a fourth consecutive win, effectively relegating Norwich simultaneously.
Less than four weeks earlier Sunderland were marooned seven points from safety, with a resigned Poyet claiming they would need “a miracle” to avoid relegation.
But a draw at title-chasing Manchester City proved the catalyst for improbable wins over Chelsea and Manchester United, and ultimately survival.
“I don’t know if you will see something similar ever again. We are the second team in the Premier League to be bottom at Christmas and stay up,” said Poyet, who replaced Paolo Di Canio in October.
“It’s been an incredibly difficult season. For moments it looked like we were going down. I will start believing in miracles from now on. It’s one of the best days of my life.”
The results lifted Sunderland to 14th, while West Brom slipped to 17th, but cannot be caught by 18th-placed Norwich without a 17-goal swing in the Canaries’ favour.
Colback put Poyet’s side in front on 13 minutes and Borini hooked the second just after the half-hour.