Beach ball boosts Bent

17 October 2009 18:13
Darren Bent staked a further claim for a place in England's World Cup squad as Sunderland heaped further misery on Liverpool with a 1-0 win. However, he did so in controversial circumstances as the visitors were left fuming over the fifth-minute strike which secured the Black Cats' first victory over a `top four' team since their return to the Barclays Premier League. Bent's eighth goal of the season came when his shot was deflected past goalkeeper Pepe Reina by a red beach ball which had been thrown onto the pitch, although referee Mike Jones had little option but to award the goal. But if the visitors felt aggrieved at the manner in which their third successive defeat in all competitions was sealed, they could have few complaints about the result in front of a crowd of 47,327 at the Stadium of Light.

Source: Eurosport