By Our Man in Sunderland
THE STADIUM OF LIGHT lived up to its name yesterday, not by illuminating the way for Sunderland, but by becoming a terrifying, swirling CAULDRON OF FRIGHT that absolutely melted AFC Bournemouth’s early lead.
The small-time Cherries rocked up to Wearside and clearly hadn’t read the script for a massive Premier League venue, thinking they could stroll out 2-0 up and head back to the seaside.
When Amine Adli and Tyler Adams put Bournemouth two goals clear inside the first 15 minutes—Adams scoring a screamer from way downtown—the 49,000-seat home of the Black Cats felt the tension. But crucially, it didn’t panic.
It was the stadium, the noise, the sheer, crushing size of the place that changed the game. It was too big, too loud, too vital for a side like Bournemouth to defend against for 75 minutes.
Sunderland were handed a lifeline when Enzo Le Fee buried a penalty right on the half-hour mark. 2-1. Game on.
The feeling among the roaring faithful was electric, and it only took 51 SECONDS after the restart for the Stadium of Light to completely explode.
Bertrand Traore, combining with midfield general Granit Xhaka, smashed home the equaliser, sending the deafening roars echoing across the River Wear and turning the famous ground into an absolute madhouse.
Bournemouth keeper Djordje Petrovic didn’t stand a chance.
But the defining moment—the one where the vastness of this proper football theatre swallowed the little Cherries whole—came in the 69th minute.
Le Fee, having already scored one, whipped in a vicious corner. The ball flew into the packed box and substitute Brian Brobbey met it with a monstrous header.
The goal was pure, untamed passion, and the Stadium of Light celebrated like it had just won the title.
Bournemouth were stunned, and their frustration boiled over when Lewis Cook saw red in added time for a needless elbow.
Sunderland’s Stadium of Light is fast becoming one of the toughest trips in the Premier League, where a massive crowd and monumental atmosphere can drag the home side back from the dead.
Bournemouth found out the hard way: you can’t sneak out of the LIGHT with all three points.
