Wayne Rooney reacts to footage of Senne Lammens controversy in Sunderland loss vs Man United
Sunderland suffered their second defeat of the season after losing 2-0 to Man United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
First-half goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko left the Black Cats with a tough mountain to climb, as Sunderland looked to record back-to-back away wins in the Premier League.
The result means that Sunderland drops down to seventh, whilst Man United moves up to ninth in the table.
Sunderland were left aggrieved following a decision involving Man United debutant Senne Lammens.
Senne Lammens lucky not to give away a penalty
In the 57th minute, Bertrand Traore ran down the right and took a touch past the onrushing Lammens.
Traore went down on the slightest contact from the Belgian goalkeeper, with Sunderland’s players calling for it to be a red card and a penalty.
Referee Stuart Attwell booked Traore for simulation, yet replays showed that contact was made with Lammens, albeit, outside the box.
Speaking on Match of the Day on 4 October, Wayne Rooney believes that Lammens got lucky with Attwell’s decision.
He said: “This was the one hiccup in the game, where he comes out and makes the wrong decision.
“On another day, it could cost him and Man United.”
The Black Cats should feel hard done by, with another key decision going against them.
Sunderland had a penalty decision overturned at the end of the first half after Trai Hume went down under a challenge from Sesko.
Attwell initially awarded a spot kick, but after reviewing the incident on the monitor, he changed his mind.
Whilst they were not on the right side of luck against Man United, Sunderland have to perform better against these big teams if they want to cause them any problems.
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Bertrand Traore shows signs of promise on full Sunderland debut
Traore joined Sunderland from Ajax on deadline day, and the 30-year-old winger already has five years of Premier League experience under his belt following his time at Aston Villa and Chelsea.
| MInutes played | 58 |
| Touches | 37 |
| Pass accuracy (percentage) | 78 |
| Successful dribbles (percentage) | 100 |
| Duels won (percentage) | 100 |
The Burkina Faso international clearly showed signs that he can be an incredibly useful squad player for the Mackems this season.
As Chemsdine Talbi struggles with his attacking output from the right wing, the introduction of Traore into the starting fold will provide some healthy competition between the pair.
Sunderland will need a big squad this season, and if Traore can consistently put in hard-working displays like he did against Man United, then he could become a hugely important player for Sunderland this season.
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