Source: Daily_Mail
Sunderland 3 Blackburn 0: Bruce's men ease to comfortable victory to move up to sixth
Darren Bent ended his personal goal drought as Sunderland bounced back from their defeat against Blackpool to defeat Blackburn.[LNB]The England striker glanced home a header eight minutes after Danny Welbeck's deflected 11th-minute shot had put the Black Cats in front to claim his 10th goal of the season and his first in six games.[LNB]Bent could easily have grabbed a second-half hat-trick and was guilty of a glaring 62nd-minute miss from just three yards, although former Sunderland striker El-Hadji Diouf had earlier contrived to fire over from even closer.[LNB] Loan star: Danny Welbeck hit his sixth lead goal of the season[LNB] [LNB]But substitute Asamoah Gyan sealed avictory which took Sunderland to 30 points for the season with a thirdat the death to provide the perfect antidote to their wastefulnessagainst the Seasiders in front of a crowd of 36,242.[LNB]For manager Steve Bruce, there wasalso a taste of vicarious revenge on behalf of close friend SamAllardyce following his unceremonious dismissal by Rovers.[LNB]It had been a difficult week forBruce, who was without seven players for the Boxing Day trip toManchester United, and then saw his side create a hatful of chancesagainst Blackpool and fail to take any of them as they slipped to a 2-0home defeat, their first of their league campaign and just the secondin 2010.[LNB]Add to that his dismay at turning 50on Friday, and the former United defender could have been forgiven forwishing to see the back of an eventful seven days.[LNB]In the circumstances, his playerscould hardly have responded anymore positively as they took the game bythe scruff of the neck from the off and threatened to have it won bythe break. [LNB]Welbeck, Bent and record signing Gyan uncharacteristically fired blanks on Tuesday, but they made amends in fine style.[LNB]Injuries to Nedum Onuoha, LeeCattermole and Gyan meant Bruce had little option to reshuffle hisside, and his decision to restore Kieran Richardson at left-back andmove Phil Bardsley to the right to allow Ahmed Elmohamady to resume hispreferred midfield role proved a masterstroke.[LNB] No mistake: Darren Bent makes it 2-0 after nodding Ahmed Elmohamady's cross past Mark Bunn[LNB]The Egypt international made lifeintensely difficult for full-back Martin Olsson, and it was his abilityto deliver the ball into the danger area which was responsible for bothfirst-half goals.[LNB]Rovers skipper Ryan Nelsen got hishead to Elmohamady's 11th-minute cross and then attempted to blockWelbeck's shot after he had controlled on his chest and volleyedtowards goal. However, the New Zealand international only succeeded indeflecting the ball past wrong-footed keeper Mark Bunn to handSunderland an early lead.[LNB]Blackburn's plight becameincreasingly desperate within eight minutes when Bent got in front ofdefender Grant Hanley to head Elmohamady's cross into the bottom corner.[LNB]But for all their dominance, thehome side should have been pegged back 11 minutes before the break whenformer Sunderland striker El-Hadji Diouf was guilty of a glaring miss.[LNB]Bruce's men were aggrieved toconcede a free-kick as David Dunn ducked into David Meyler's challenge,and their mood might have darkened from the resulting set-piece. MortenGamst Pedersen curled an inviting free-kick to the far post, whereDiouf met it unopposed but somehow contrived to smash it over the barfrom barely two yards.[LNB] Three and easy: Asamoah Gyan scores Sunderland's third goal[LNB]Welbeck clipped the top of thecrossbar with a delicate 37th-minute chip with the Black Cats lookingto kill the game off, but keeper Craig Gordon was relieved to seeDunn's 44th-minute effort from distance fly just wide after he had cutinside onto his left foot.[LNB]Rovers boss Steve Kean withdrewHanley at the break and replaced him with striker Benjani Mwaruwari asBrett Emerton moved back into defence with his team having abandonedthe 4-5-1 formation with which they had started the game.[LNB]That gave them a more adventurouslook and they might have capitalised nine minutes after the restartwhen El-Hadji Diouf did well to get in a cross from the right and MameBiram Diouf headed it just wide.[LNB]Dunn went close seconds later with adipping volley as the Black Cats came under sustained pressure for thefirst time in the game, but the game should have been over with 62minutes gone.[LNB]Steed Malbranque and Richardsoncarved Rovers open down the left and when the full-back crossed for theunmarked Bent in the middle, only to see him miss the target from justthree yards.[LNB]Bent passed up another gloriousopportunity two minutes later when he shot wide after Gael Givet hadfailed to cut out a Malbranque cross, and drilled a 75th-minuteleft-foot effort wide, while Jordan Henderson hit the bar three minuteslater.[LNB]But Gyan made sure a minute from time to wrap up a regulation victory with a fine individual goal.[LNB] Bruce: I hate being called Fat Head but when under pressure I eat pork pies!Samba gets the Blackburn captaincy back after heart-to-heart with Kean SUNDERLAND FC
