Source: Daily_Mail
PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE: Sunderland v Stoke City - all the action from the Stadium of the Light
Follow the action from tonight's clash in the Barclays PremierLeague as Sunderland host Stoke City at the Stadium of Light. Sportsmail has minute-by-minute coverage from 7.30pm. And if you want to join in with the game, send your views to: phil.duncan@dailymail.co.uk[LNB]SUNDERLAND 0 STOKE CITY 0 FT[LNB].................................................................................................................................................[LNB]21.57: Thank god that's over. Potentially one of the worst Premier League games ever. Don't get me wrong there was plenty of endeavour, fight and spirit from both sides, but any real quality was severely lacking. Stoke will be happy with the point but Sunderland look a team shot of confidence and the final whistle was greeted with boos from the home crowd. They will have to improve drastically, or a relegation battle looks a prominent reality in 2010. [LNB]21.55: FULL-TIME: SUNDERLAND 0 STOKE CITY 0 [LNB]21.50: The fourth official indicates four additional minutes at Sunderland, which is met by a (desperate, perhaps) roar of enthusiasm from the home crowd. [LNB]21.47: Final throw of the dice for Sunderland. Cattermole is replaced by Jordan Henderson. [LNB]21.46: Some of the Sunderland fans are making their way home and you can't blame them. There has been about as much quality in this game as a Tesco value scotch egg. [LNB]21.45: Five minutes of normal time left to play at the Stadium of Light. [LNB]21.42: Yellow card for Andy Wilkinson. [LNB]21.40: Chance for Stoke on the counter-attack. Fuller bursts past the Sunderland defence but his left-footed shot is parried away by Gordon. Great strike but the Scotsman was equal to it.[LNB]21.38: Great ball into the box from Zenden but a red and white shirt fails to get on the end of it. Sunderland are upping the pressure but without testing Sorensen. [LNB]21.36: Stoke substitution: Delap comes on for Diao.[LNB]21.34: Chance for Campbell. The ball finds its way through to the substitute from a Zenden corner but he fluffs his shot and Stoke clear the ball. [LNB]21.32: Rory Delap is being readied by Tony Pulis. He isn't going to bring you quality, but what he will bring, is a ruddy long throw. [LNB]21.28: Sunderland substitutions: Bolo Zenden and Fraizer Campbell come on for Malbranque and Reid. [LNB]21.27: We're coming up to the midway point of the second-half and the game is desperately crying out for a bit of quality. Sadly unless it comes from the bench, I can't see it coming at the moment. [LNB]21.22: Stoke substitution: Fuller is on for Tuncay. [LNB]21.20: Sunderland appeal for a penalty but Webb waves it away. Huth appears to deliberately handle the ball in the area to prevent Darren Bent from going through on goal. The linesman had a great view but apparently didn't see it. Poor from the officials all around. It should have been a Sunderland spot-kick. [LNB]21.16: Better pressure for the home side but the quality is still lacking and Sorensen has yet to be tested. [LNB]21.09: Off the line from Sunderland. Higginbotham does well to keep Whelan's free-kick in play. The ball ricochets off a few players before Sidibe strikes at goal, but Jones scrambles the ball away. A let-off for the home side.[LNB]21.07: Stoke get the second-half underway at the Stadium of Light. [LNB]20.50: HT - In the first Premier League game to be played since the transfer window closed at 5pm today, it's tinged in some irony that tonight's encounter matches the very limited excitement of the last 31 days of transfer activity. Whitehead should have given the away side the lead in the opening minutes of a game that's been derived of star- quality and few chances. Oh, how I long for a long-throw in from Rory Delap.[LNB]20.47: HALF-TIME SUNDERLAND 0 STOKE CITY 0[LNB]20.46: Yellow card for Cattermole for what you would probably describe as a 'revenge tackle' on Whitehead, for his early misdemeanor. [LNB]20.45: Thankfully just two minutes of injury-time to play. Let's hope the second-half is better. It can't get much worse! [LNB]20.42: Decent effort from Andy Reid. The Sunderland midfielder's 20-yard free-kick is on target but doesn't have enough pace to really test Sorensen.[LNB]20.40: Five minutes of the first-half to play.[LNB]20.36: At last, a little bit of excitement, but sadly its come in the form of petty violence. Whitehead is lucky to escape with just a yellow after kicking Lee Cattermole off the ball. It's not been a great day for referee Webb so far.[LNB]20.32: Sunderland are growing increasingly frustrated by the antics of Stoke's centre-halves Shawcross and Huth. The pair are all over Kenwyne Jones at any opportunity and Howard Webb is letting it go to the annoyance of the home faithful.[LNB] Hard night: Jones has been marked tightly by Shawcross throughout the game [LNB]20.30: Better from Sunderland. Andy Reid whips the ball in from the left, Darren Bent lets the ball run to Malbranque. The former Spurs midfielder does well to create the chance, but his shot goes straight at Sorensen.[LNB]20.23: Scrappy is probably a good word to describe this game. Stoke are getting in the faces of a Sunderland team about as confident as John Terry of hanging on to the England captaincy, i.e not very. The home crowd are growing increasingly frustrated and it seems to be having a negative effect on their side. [LNB]20.19: Both sides are pretty nervy at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland have been edgy in possession, while Stoke are content to sit back and play on the counter-attack. Meanwhile crocked Faye looks to be in real pain. But instead of getting down the tunnel for an early bath, the Stoke captain has positioned himself in the away dugout. I'm no doctor, but I reckon he should be getting some treatment for that injury.[LNB]20.15: Substitution for Stoke: Faye is replaced by Andy Wilkinson who takes the captain's armband. A lower-back problem is the cause of the Stoke skipper's premature exit. [LNB]20.14: Big blow for Stoke: Faye, who has just returned to action following a calf strain, limps off the pitch and looks anxious to call it a day.[LNB]20.12: Chance for Sunderland. McCartney heads the ball down to Jones following a corner, but the Liverpool target failed to get any real connection on the ball and his shot goes straight at Sorensen in between the Stoke sticks. The Black Cats are on top.[LNB]20.11: It's pretty quiet at the Stadium of Light. Only 400 fans have travelled up from Stoke but they're the ones making all the noise at the moment. [LNB]Calm under pressure: Stoke skipper Faye sees off Darren Bent [LNB]20.09: Great stuff from Stoke skipper Abdoulaye Faye. Harassed by Darren Bent in his own penalty area, the defender stays cool, throws in a drag-back and plays the ball out of danger. Cool, calm, and very collective. Top stuff! [LNB]20.05: Breaking news: Tottenham striker Robbie Keane joins Celtic on a season-long loan. The Ireland international will be paraded at Parkhead at 11pm.[LNB]20.03: Great chance for Whitehead, he should have scored. Tuncay shows a bit of Turkish class to backheel the ball to the Stoke midfielder, but, despite being clean through, hits his shot straight at Gordon. [LNB]20.00: Right, we're underway at the Stadium of Light.[LNB]19.56: The two sides, who are separated by just two points, enter the field to U2's 'Elevation'. And both teams will be desperate to win tonight. After a bright start to the season, Sunderland are without a win in nine, while Stoke City have walked away with three points just once in their last eight Premier League outings. [LNB]19.50: TEAM NEWS:[LNB]Sunderland: Gordon, Mensah,Turner, Kilgallon, McCartney, Malbranque, Cattermole, Cana, Reid, Bent,Jones. Subs: Fulop, Bardsley, Zenden, Campbell, Henderson, Meyler, DaSilva.[LNB]Stoke: Sorensen, Huth, Shawcross, Abdoulaye Faye,Higginbotham, Diao, Whitehead, Whelan, Etherington, Sanli, Sidibe.Subs: Simonsen, Lawrence, Beattie, Fuller, Collins, Delap, Wilkinson.[LNB]Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire)[LNB]19.45: Good evening and welcome to Sportsmail's coverage oftonight's Premier League clash as Sunderland host Stoke City at theStadium of Light.[LNB] Sunderland hitman: Despite interest from Liverpool Kenwyne Jones looks to be staying at the Stadium of Light [LNB] [LNB]
