Julio Arca blasts ‘bad’ Sunderland after what he witnessed v Coventry
Sunderland achieved their biggest victory of the season so far as they beat Coventry City 2-1 in the first leg of their Championship playoff semi-final.
Regis Le Bris’ men showed their devastating counter-attacking ability when Wilson Isidor fired home his 13th goal of the season.
But the Black Cats were immediately pegged back when Jack Rudoni headed in the equaliser for Frank Lampard’s men.
Eliezer Mayenda then capitalised on Milan van Ewijk’s late error to ensure that Sunderland hold a one-goal advantage heading into the second leg on home turf.
Arca slams Sunderland performance despite victory over Coventry
The Mackems faithful were left thrilled by their side’s Championship playoff victory at the CBS Arena on Friday.
| Opponent | Result |
| Oxford (A) | 2-0 L |
| QPR (H) | 0-1 L |
| Coventry (A) | 1-2 W |
However, as reported by the Sunderland Echo, former Black Cats favourite Arca posted on social media: “Fantastic result for Sunderland tonight, but let’s be honest, another bad performance in my opinion.
“No patterns of play, possession was bad, the team gave the ball away all the time, and could not keep the ball for longer than five seconds. Set pieces not great either.”
Arca is wrong to criticise Sunderland over their performance against Coventry
The former Stadium of Light hero has aimed at Sunderland’s performance even though they won their most important game of the season so far.
Le Bris’ men did allow Coventry to dominate the game and control the lion’s share of the possession throughout the playoff encounter in the West Midlands.
However, Arca is wrong to criticise the North East giants over their performance at the CBS arena, as the Black Cats were resolute at the back, and devastating on the counter attack when they needed to be.
After losing each of their previous five games, Sunderland were unlikely to turn up to Coventry and exercise a front-footed style of play.
But the likes of Dan Ballard and Luke O’Nien were excellent in defence for Le Bris’ side, while Mayenda was particularly dangerous at the other end of the pitch.
By keeping things tight at the back and seizing upon their opportunities in attack, the Black Cats provided a perfect blueprint of how to win away from home in the Championship playoffs.