Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Sunderland 5th with 85 points, Walsall 22nd with 47, 38 apart. On recent form Sunderland sat only 17th league-wide over the last five rounds, well short of their 5th overall. Against a league average of 1.32 goals per team per game, Sunderland ran at 1.74 scored and 1.02 conceded, Walsall at 1.07 and 1.54.
Sunderland carried a 15-game unbeaten run into this.
The venue was Stadium of Light in Sunderland, with room for 49,000 spectators. Half-time and full-time told different stories: it was 1-1 at the break, before 1 more goal closed it at 2-1.