[aries22]

How we can go from playing such good, incisive football against West Ham, to just
hoofing it anywhere is beyond me. The gap between the forwards and the midfielders
was obscene and on the few chances we had to counter, couldn't even string a pass
together.

It's a good question Slick, but Sunderland were at home and needed a result even more than we did and showed more fight than West Ham, which all makes it more difficult for us. We got lucky with the no sending off of Joleon Lescott, Yacob's pushing and shoving in the box and the disallowed goal. If I have one criticism, it's that I would have kept the same starting XI as against West Ham, but a point's a point, we increased our distance to the bottom three by that point, and we had another clean sheet.
Oh, and Ron Vlaar got sent off as Villa were 'Stoked' in the last minute. Delighted for Tim Sherwood.