The Premier League clash between Sunderland and Swansea City ended 0-0 this afternoon at the Stadium of Light.
Despite a dominant performance by the home side, Gus Poyet's men were largely toothless in front of goal.
Meanwhile, the Swans were lucky to hang on for a draw after finishing the game with 10 men, courtesy of Angel Rangel's sending off.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the performance between the two teams.
Match statistics
SUNDERLAND
Shots: 15
On target: 3
Possession: 49%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 13
SWANSEA CITY
Shots: 7
On target: 1
Possession: 51%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 15
Was the result fair?
Sunderland will be aggrieved at not securing all three points against their opposition today. They were dominant throughout, marauding forward at every opportunity, but they weren't particularly sharp in front of goal. Swansea can count themselves lucky with their clean sheet today, because their defence was shaky at times, while in the final third they were simply unable to penetrate the impervious Black Cats back line.
Sunderland's performance
Vito Mannone had very little to do in today's game. The defence was steadfast and denied the Swans in efficient fashion, restricting all forays into the final third to the flanks and forcing the visitors to little more than pot shots from distance. The midfield was cohesive and probed forward at every opportunity, Will Buckley standing out on the wing, but sadly for Poyet's men, the attack let the side down. Connor Wickham fluffed several chances and Steven Fletcher headed wide what could have been the match winner late on.
Swansea City's performance
Garry Monk's side weren't especially bad, but they struggled to contain the Black Cats this afternoon. Goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski didn't put a foot wrong in the game, pulling off a great stop from Adam Johnson early on and doing the basics right throughout, which is a good thing as the defence was wavering at times - Ashley Williams was clumsy, while Rangel's constant fouling led to his marching orders late on. The Swans midfield lacked cohesion at times and were unable to supplement the forward line, which remained largely anonymous throughout the game.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Will Buckley: The Oldham-born winger came in for the injured Emanuele Giaccherini, but Poyet should seriously consider giving the 24-year-old an extended run in the first team after a livewire performance in which he toyed with the Swansea defence.
Biggest gaffe
Fletcher's poor effort on goal for Sunderland with just seven minutes to go, sending a looping header wide when it should have been easier to score.
Referee performance
Chris Foy was rather lenient, waving away several penalty calls and letting play flow whenever he could, but he stepped in whenever players clashed, such as in Williams and Wickham's disagreement on the hour, and despite giving Rangel the benefit of the doubt when he clattered into Buckley, was absolutely right to award the Spaniard a second yellow when he clashed with the Sunderland winger yet again five minutes later.
What next?
Sunderland: The Black Cats, now 15th in the Premier League table, welcome Stoke City to the Stadium of Light next Saturday.
Swansea City: The Swans, who currently sit fourth in the Premier League after their point today, will take on Newcastle United in seven days' time.
Giuseppe Labellarte
