Sunderland marked their return to the Premier League with a composed 3-0 victory over West Ham at the Stadium of Light. After an eight-year absence from the top flight, the Black Cats absorbed early pressure led by Hammers captain Jarrod Bowen before their play-off heroes settled the contest in the second half.<\/p>\n
The breakthrough arrived in the 61st minute when Eliezer Mayenda met Omar Alderete\u2019s looping cross and nodded into the bottom corner. The centre-half who supplied the cross had only just come on to make his debut after replacing the injured Jenson Seelt, who was taken off following a challenge for the ball.<\/p>\n
Sunderland extended their lead in the 73rd minute. Simon Adingra picked out Dan Ballard on the left side of the box and the centre-half powered a header into the bottom corner, nodding into the same spot as his late winner in the play-off semi-finals against Coventry.<\/p>\n
Substitute Wilson Isidor completed the scoring two minutes into added time after cutting in from the left and rolling a composed finish into the corner to seal three points in Sunderland\u2019s first Premier League appearance since May 2017.<\/p>\n
Eleven signings have been made so far this window and seven of those new arrivals were handed their first starts. Trai Hume, Ballard and Mayenda were the only survivors from the starting XI that beat Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final.<\/p>\n
West Ham handed debuts to two new signings with El Hadji Malick Diouf and goalkeeper Mads Hermansen both starting, while new signing Callum Wilson was named on the bench. Bowen threatened early, forcing a low stop from Robin Roefs, and Hermansen denied Habib Diarra at the other end.<\/p>\n
Diouf blasted a first-time effort in a move started by Bowen but Ballard made a superb block. Hermansen later collected a header from Ballard following a series of corners. In the closing stages Roefs tipped a deflected header from a free-kick over the bar before Isidor\u2019s finish wrapped up an impressive afternoon for the hosts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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