After defeating Preston 2-0 to start the new year, UNDERLAND celebrated with a goal from one of their strikers, who scored the team’s first goal of the year.
At the Stadium of Light, playmaker Alex Pritchard opened the score in the tenth minute with his first goal of the season. Nazariy Rusyn, a Ukrainian, added another goal shortly before halftime.
With 12 minutes remaining, Wearside was substituted to a standing ovation. It was the goal he had been waiting for all season, a score from a front man.
At the close of the summer transfer window, Rusyn, who had been recruited from Zorya, headed in Jack Clarke’s cross in the 44th minute to put Sunderland ahead.
With those goals, Michael Beale earned his first victory at home and his second overall since succeeding Tony Mowbray just before Christmas, keeping Sunderland in the running for the play-offs while Preston’s poor form persisted.
Beale and Ryan Lowe made three changes to their starting lineups in an effort to give their teams a winning start to the season after slumps in performance.
For the first time in almost a month, Sunderland brought back striker Rusyn to the starting lineup, and Pritchard took the place of the injured Patrick Roberts.
In an attempt to turn things around, Lowe, whose team fell short against Sheffield Wednesday at home on Friday, brought in Mads Frokjaer-Jensen, Jordan Storey, and Ched Evans.
Preston’s defense saw the most action in the first six minutes, save for Ben Whiteman’s effort that prompted Anthony Patterson to make a stop.
After just ninety seconds, the warning flags were up when Clarke curled an effort just wide of the upright after making a decent move.
When Pritchard found the net, midfielder Pierre Ekwah had also missed a shot from slightly inside the area.
Deep in the Preston half, too much space was given to the 30-year-old. With plenty of work ahead of him, he powerfully hit a right-footed shot beyond Freddie Woodman from a distance of twenty-five yards.
Pritchard hadn’t found the back of the goal since he scored against Preston on the last weekend of the previous campaign in May.
Following another of his probing runs, Preston created a number of half-chances for Frokjaer-Jensen to shoot wide, but Clarke pushed Woodman into a stop to his left.
Nevertheless, Sunderland scored their second goal with just one minute left in the first half.
After driving at his marker, Clarke rolled a pass into Rusyn’s path to apply the beautiful finish low and past Woodman. His movement was ideal and just what a club sorely lacking in offensive punch needed.
Preston forced Patterson to make a few stops from Liam Miller and Frokjaer-Jensen after the restart, but Sunderland
managed the tempo and game without having to create anything else.
