Sunderland hosted Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon on the back of a Stadium of Light victory over Premier League champions Manchester City.
Both teams were unbeaten over their opening two festive fixtures, but Sunderland could not claim another top-four scalp as Spurs produced a come-from-behind win.
After John O'Shea had given the Black Cats a half-time lead, the visitors turned the game around with a quickfire double which earned them their sixth win in eight top-flight matches.
The result saw Spurs temporarily climb above London rivals Chelsea into third, while Sunderland remain 13th in the table.
Below, you can read how the events unfolded on Wearside.
Good morning all! The games come thick and fast over this festive period, don't they? The third set of Christmas fixtures begins at the Stadium of Light, where Sunderland host Spurs...
The team news is just coming in. We will start with the visitors, who make two changes to the side that comfortably beat Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
Both those alterations made by Andre Villas-Boas come in defence, with centre-back pair William Gallas and Jan Vertonghen dropping out. The latter is on the bench, while experienced Frenchman Gallas misses out on the 18 completely.
They are replaced by English duo Steven Caulker and Michael Dawson, who skippers Tottenham this afternoon as AVB opts to use his defensive strength in depth over the busy Christmas calendar.
Moussa Dembele has shaken off a knock to his hip to continue in central midfield. Spurs have lost just one game in which the Belgian has started.
Tom Huddlestone and Clint Dempsey have also returned from injury to feature on a strong Spurs bench which also includes Gylfi Sigurdsson and Scott Parker.
Here is the Spurs team in full then...
SPURS: Lloris; Walker, Caulker, Dawson, Naughton; Lennon, Dembele, Sandro, Bale; Adebayor, Defoe
SUBS: Friedel, Vertoghen, Huddestone, Livermore, Parker, Dempsey, Sigurdsson
Martin O'Neill is likely to have wanted to stick with the XI that shocked City on Wearside earlier this week, but he has been forced into one alteration to his starting lineup.
Left-back Danny Rose has impressed on loan from Spurs this season, but is ineligible to face his parent club this afternoon as part of the transfer agreement.
Every cloud, and all that. John O'Shea is back for the Black Cats after missing the victory over the Premier League champions through illness.
His return is likely to mean a reshuffle in the home defence. Jack Colback could be used at left-back, with O'Shea on the right. Alternatively, O'Neill may choose to play versatile Craig Gardner at right back and shift one of his centre-halves across to the left. We shall have to wait and see!
The Sunderland attacking quartet of Johnson, James McClean, Stephane Sessegnon and Steven Fletcher are starting to find form and play as a unit.
O'Neill was fairly critical of the four players at the start of the season, but they have certainly improved vastly of late. If they are on their game today, they could cause Spurs endless problems.
Here is the Sunderland team in full then...
SUNDERLAND: Mignolet; O'Shea, Kilgallon, Cuellar, Colback; Larsson, Gardner, Johnson, McClean; Sessegnon; Fletcher
SUBS: Westwood, Bramble, Vaughan, Campbell, Wickham, McFadden, Ji
So, no Danny Rose for Sunderland this afternoon, but that may not be the case long term. Martin O'Neill has revealed that he would like to keep the Spurs man permanently when his loan deal expires at the end of the season.
Rose himself has admitted that he is enjoying life and playing regular football on Wearside, but Spurs may want to bring the England Under-21 international back to White Hart Lane in the summer.
Fellow defenders Kyle Naughton, and especially Steven Caulker, have flourished in North London following season-long loan spells elsewhere in the Premier League. Andre Villas-Boas may wish to give Rose the opportunity to do the same.
Around 10 minutes until kickoff now...
There were concerning reports, for Spurs fans at least, in Spanish publication Marca this morning surrounding a possible Real Madrid move for Gareth Bale.
His first Premier League hat-trick against Villa on Wednesday, just days before the beginning of the January transfer window, will have only fuelled such rumours. However, there does seem to be some mileage in Madrid's interest, and a possible first refusal option they have agreed during the purchase of Luka Modric. All will be revealed eventually, I am sure.
One thing is for certain. Any club that wants the Welshman's services will have to stump up a very substantial fee. Villas-Boas has already made that crystal clear.
Right, just time to look back at the recent history between these two sides, which is favourable on Tottenham, who have not lost in their last four meetings with the Black Cats.
The players are out at the Stadium of Light, and thankfully, surprisingly, the North East does not seem to have had the country's worst weather. The air is dry(ish), for now.
Both sides have gathered around the centre circle to take part in a minute's silence to remember all those men and women associated with Sunderland Football Club that have passed away this year.
I shall type, with my mouth closed then, my predictions for this afternoon. Spurs may find Sunderland difficult to break down and I think this one will end in a draw, either goalless or 1-1.
The silence was observed flawlessly and the action is now underway...
Matt Kilgallon seems to be the one that has been shifted across to left-back by Martin O'Neill, with Craig Gardner occupying the right-back berth and Jack Colback continuing in central midfield.
CHANCE! Really good opportunity for Spurs as Bale superbly turns away from Gardner, before cutting the ball back for Adebayor. The Togolese forward is unmarked 18 yards out, but completely scuffs his shot straight at Simon Mignolet.
Free kick in a promising position for the hosts, 25 yards out in the centre of the goal. Craig Gardner, Sebastian Larsson and Adam Johnson are all interested.
SHOT! It was Gardner who hit it. His low strike skids off the service, but Lloris gets down and gathers the ball into his chest.
The ball ricochets to Defoe in space midway through the Sunderland half. He drives towards the Sunderland area before trying a reverse pass to Bale, which is intercepted by John O'Shea.
McClean wraps his foot around the ball and crosses from the left attempting to find Sessegnon, but Dawson is on hand to intervene.
There has been talk that the constant rotation of his centre-backs may cause problems for AVB, but Spurs have kept clean sheet in their last three matches.
Gardner slips in Sessegnon down the right, and Caulker does not get close enough to block the cross. Fletcher is the intended target, but Lloris comes off his line to claim.
Superb through ball from Walker on the inside of Kilgallon finds Lennon, who tries to find Defoe with a cut-back to the edge of the box. It is just behind the England poacher, though, and when Dembele picks it up, he is penalised for a nudge on Carlos Cuellar.
CHANCE! Excellent play from McClean, who wrong-foots Walker before cutting back onto his right foot to deliver a great cross. Johnson is not tracked at the back post and steers the ball back into the danger area, but neither Fletcher or Sessegnon had gambled on him doing so and Dawson clears.
SHOT! Lennon pinches the ball from Kilgallon and Spurs counter. Via Defoe and Bale, it comes to Sandro, who strikes low first time. Mignolet is unconvincing as he parries the deflected shot.
Cuellar is down after clashing knees with teammate Colback, but the magic sponge seems to have done the trick and he is back on his feet now.
Excellent passing move from Spurs eventually results in Defoe spreading the play out right to Lennon. The pacey winger shifts and crosses, and the ball is turned behind for a corner.
After the corner is cleared, Sandro and Dembele both try very ambitious efforts from distance and the Belgian's is deflected behind again.
SAVE! McClean gives the ball away, which allows Lennon to release Adebayor through the middle. The Spurs striker tries to poke the ball through Mignolet but the Sunderland stopper blocks well.
A poor Mignolet punch falls to Walker but he cannot get the ball under control with the Belgian stranded off his line. A good chance goes begging.
CHANCE! Lennon skips past McClean with some great feet before standing a cross up for Bale. There is not much pace on the delivery, but the Welshman generates some power on the header only to see it drift a yard wide.
MISS! Defoe tries to bend a shot into the far corner, and Cuellar completely miscues his clearance. The ball drops to Adebayor four yards out, but the former Arsenal striker pokes his effort against the crossbar. He had to react quickly, but that is still a bad miss and Spurs should be in front.
We are just past the half-hour mark here and Spurs are enjoying a really good spell. In particular, they are getting joy down the right flank with Aaron Lennon proving Tottenham have a threat on both wings.
SHOT! Sunderland pack plenty of men behind the ball and do not allow Spurs a way through, leading Walker into a 30-yard strike which flies into the stands.
Persistent pressure from Naughton sees him pinch the ball from Gardner in the right-back position. However, the Sunderland man recovers well to backtrack and get a block in.
CHANCE! Johnson delivers a free kick which is flicked goalwards by Cuellar, whose effort has Lloris scrambling back but lands on the roof of the net.
GOAL! Sunderland 1-0 Spurs (John O'Shea)
Completely against the run of play, Sunderland lead! Walker gives away a silly free kick, which is whipped in superbly by Larsson. The ball drops to Fletcher, who is denied by a fantastic Lloris reflex save, but O'Shea is on hand to convert a simple rebound and put the Black Cats ahead on his return to the side.
Spurs will feel hard done by. Sunderland have only really been a threat from set pieces, and the hosts will now be very hard to break down, as Manchester City found out just a few days ago.
Bale plays the ball inside and Defoe's first touch takes it away from Colback. The England forward goes down looking for a foul but nothing is given and in truth, it looked like a dive from the Spurs man.
We are now entering stoppage time, of which there will be two minutes...
HALF-TIME: Sunderland 1-0 Spurs
Spurs will feel they are very unfortunate to be behind at the break, but they have learned the hard way not to give free kicks away against a Sunderland side that excel at set pieces. Larsson's delivery was as precise as ever, and after a mini-scramble, O'Shea was in the right place at the right time to turn the ball home for his first Black Cats goal.
The statistics will tell you that Spurs have had much the better of the opening half, though.
They have had 11 shots to Sunderland's four, had all five corners of the match so far and enjoyed 56% of possession, but the hosts will argue that they lead in the only stat that matters!
Here, you can read Sports Mole's half-time report on the contest.
At times, that first period resembled the opening 45 minutes Spurs dominated against Aston Villa on Boxing Day. Perhaps not to that extent, but they were certainly in complete control during minutes 15-40. They produced an even better second-half display at Villa Park to score four goals. Can they repeat that sort of performance this afternoon?
The two sides are unchanged and back on the field of play. Sunderland resume the action...
Sunderland start the second half positively, with Sessegnon forcing a corner, before Johnson sends in a cross which Sandro just clears with an outstretched leg.
YELLOW CARD! Spurs counter through Lennon, who is brought down by Cuellar as he cuts inside. The Spaniard enters the book for the tackle.
GOAL! Sunderland 1-1 Spurs (Carlos Cuellar og)
Spurs are level as Cuellar and O'Shea both challenge for Walker's corner at the near post, with the former inadvertently flicking the ball over Mignolet and into his own net. Spurs will argue that they deserve that slice of luck, but not a good couple of minutes for the Black Cats defender.
GOAL! Sunderland 1-2 Spurs (Aaron Lennon)
Lennon tries to lift the ball over Cuellar towards Defoe, but the ball rebounds off the Sunderland man and falls back to Lennon's feet. He pokes the ball round O'Shea and then calmly curls the ball past Mignolet under pressure from the home defence. Spurs have completely turned this one around!
SAVE! Johnson drives left-footed from the edge of the box and Lloris dives low to save at his near post. The follow-up cross from Sessegnon is directed towards Fletcher, but overhit.
Steven Caulker just caught the toe of namesake Fletcher as he shadowed the aforementioned cross away from danger. The Scot was down receiving treatment for a minute or two, but has recovered now and seems fit enough to continue.
Spurs players moan when Colback twice tugs back a surging Lennon on the counter, only for referee Martin Atkinson to wave play on.
SAVE! Incredible play from firstly Bale, and then Mignolet! The Welshman wins a 50-50 with Larsson, which means he has a free run at the Sunderland defence. He charges down the left, leaving Gardner for dead, before cutting it back for Defoe eight yards out. He is off balance and never really gets the ball out of his feet as he pokes it goalwards. Nevertheless, it is a superb instinct save from the Sunderland keeper, who dives to his left to claw it off the line.
SUBSTITUTION: A sign of attacking intent from Martin O'Neill, as he swaps defender Kilgallon for Frazier Campbell, who had a loan spell at Spurs a few seasons ago.
Gareth Bale escapes without a booking for a frustrated kick on Craig Gardner. The Spurs winger is a caution away from a suspension, but the yellow card count is wiped after this weekend's fixtures.
SUBSTITUTION: More defensive problems for O'Neill as goalscorer and captain O'Shea is forced off after appearing to pull a hamstring. Titus Bramble is on in his place.
YELLOW CARD! Free kick in a very promising area for Sunderland after Dawson clumsily takes out Sessegnon. The Spurs skipper is booked for his troubles, but a good clearing punch from Lloris clears the set-piece danger.
Dawson gives away another needless foul for a shove on Sessegnon, and Sunderland have another chance to whip the ball into the box.
Again, Lloris punches clear and then catches the second cross from Gardner.
Bale pokes the ball round Gardner and flies down the Spurs left and cuts a cross back to Defoe. Sunderland get plenty of bodies back though and stall Tottenham's momentum.
SUBSTITUTION: Andre Villas-Boas uses his bench for the first time, sacrificing Defoe for the more industrious Clint Dempsey.
Lennon breaks the offside trap to receive a pass from Sandro and then fizz in a low cross towards Dempsey, but Bramble stretches out a leg to clear over his own crossbar.
CHANCE! From the resultant corner, Dawson's header from deep back across goal is nodded goalwards by Caulker, but the effort lacks power and Mignolet gathers.
YELLOW CARD! Dembele enters the book for a frustrated challenge on Gardner.
PENALTY SHOUT! Adebayor releases Bale down the left, and he skips past Gardner and goes down. Instead, referee Martin Atkinson books Bale for diving. Replays show there was clear contact and Spurs should have had a spot kick.
CHANCE! A superb flick from Dempsey puts Adebayor through one-on-one, but Mignolet makes himself big and saves superbly from the Tottenham striker. That should have been game, set and match.
DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION: A change for either side. Scott Parker comes on for Aaron Lennon, while Sunderland throw on another striker in the shape of Connor Wickham. Sebastian Larsson makes way.
CHANCE! Johnson fires a superb low cross into a dangerous area and Naughton produces a great clearance to deny Fletcher, who had the trigger ready yards behind him.
Sandro gets the better of Sessegnon in the right corner and earns Tottenham a goal kick which buys the visitors some time.
Spurs are dropping deeper and deeper. This has cost them vital points in the past...
We are now entering injury time, of which there will be FIVE additional minutes...
For the first time this afternoon, Lloris comes for a cross but does not reach it. However, Campbell is off balance and his header is misdirected.
CHANCE! Walker gives away another silly foul, and Sunderland launch the ball into the box again. It falls to Cuellar but he screws his shot well wide.
FULL-TIME: Sunderland 1-2 Spurs
So, my prediction was not quite right! Spurs were able to claim maximum points and that is their sixth win in eight matches.
A well-deserved win for Spurs, especially considering that they had to come from behind against a Martin O'Neill side defensively sound at home. The hosts took the lead against the run of play but, with a stroke of luck, Tottenham turned the game around in six second-half minutes. They climb to third courtesy of their victory.
I am sure a post-match talking point will be the yellow card shown to Gareth Bale for apparent simulation. I don't think we have heard the last of that one!
Regardless though, that is Bale's third caution for diving in Tottenham's last five matches. He will now miss their next fixture, against Reading, through suspension.
That's it from me for this afternoon, but do stay tuned with Sports Mole for coverage of today's other Premier League matches. Read a full-time report on the Stadium of Light contest here.
Written by
Joe Fish
Joe Fish
