Promotion hopes dented again as Sunderland held to frustrating draw by Charlton Athletic

Alex Neil’s side built on their excellent away performance at Wigan Athletic with another controlled display, but they were unable to turn a host of promising openings into goals.

Ross Stewart missed a number of good first-half openings to get his side into the lead, and only a superb clearance from Chris Gunter prevented Dennis Cirkn in the second half early in the second half.

Charlton’s openings were few and far between, late saves from Craig MacGillivray denying the visitors from taking a win that they would have deserved on balance of play.

Neil had promised in his pre-match press conference to tailor personnel and formation to the opponent going forward and that meant a slight switch from the system that had been so successful at Wigan Athletic, Carl Winchester moving back infield to the right of the back three.

The big boost for the Black Cats was to see Nathan Broadhead slotting back into the starting XI for the first time since he injured his hamstring minutes after scoring a superb goal against Arsenal in December.

The Everton loanee looked bright from the off, but it was striking partner who had all the early openings.

Despite beating Sunderland in Johnnie Jackson’s first game earlier this season, the Addicks came into the game in poor form and it showed. They looked the visiting team for much of the first half hour, camped in their own box and unable to build any play from the back in the face of a good Sunderland press.

Neil’s side were in complete control without ever really carving the hosts open, but Stewart’s complete aerial dominance looked like it would lead to a goal.

Seven minutes in he rose above Lavelle to meet Pritchard’s corner, but his effort was straight at MacGillivray. He was presented with an even better opportunity 25 minutes when Gooch cut in from the right, his excellent left-footed cross to the back post finding Cirkin, whose header at close range was well blocled my MacGilllivray. Stewart again got clear from Lavelle to meet the corner, and this time he headed wide when he ought to have scored.

He continued to look the most likely to open the scoring, an excellent arced run into the box to meet Gooch’s cross leading to another header flashing just wide of the far post.

When a Pritchard free kick was tipped over the bar by MacGillivray moments later, the home crowd was beginning to grow frustrated with what was a tepid performance from their team.

The fear for Sunderland was that they would be punished for not making the most of that control through the first 40 minutes, and that was underlined when the hosts finally began to show signs of a threat.

Twice before the break Jayden Stockley rose above his marker in the box, twice heading just wide.

The second half started in much the same vein as the first, Sunderland having just about the better of a fairly pedestrian contest, but Charlton captain Jason Pearce had to make a superb block in his own box after Broadhead was sprung clear over the top.

His team-mate Gunter did even better moments later when Pritchard played Cirkin in, the left-back’s effort cleared inches in front fo the goal-line as Sunderland began to lift the tempo and dominate.

The Black Cats continued to apply all the attacking pressure, Gooch and Winchester both forcing saves from MacGillivray with efforts from the edge of the area.

Charlton were able to take the sting out of the contest after a couple of minor fouls, and almost went ahead with their first meaningul attack of the half when a free kick from the left flank was met by Lavelle, who headed inches wide of Patterson’s near post.

Another watning sign came when a Sunderland goal kick quickly turned into a home break, the visitors fortunate that Burstow could only slice wide from a promising position. The momentum that the Black Cats had been building was beginning to wane.

There was more concern when Prtichard was forced off with an injury, but his replacement Embleton almost broke the game open with ten minutes to play by springing Stewart free with an excellent pass through the heart of the defence. Stewart took one touch to steady himself before forcing a good save from MacGillivray as he fired towards the far corner.

It was all Sunderland in the closing stages, Wright heading over from Embleton’s cross before the lively substitute drew another stop from MacGillivray with an effort of his own.

There would be one final chance for Charlton as Lavelle headed over from a dangerous free kick, as five minutes of stoppage time passed without either side finding the breakthrough.

Sunderland XI: Patterson; Winchester, Wright, Xhemajli; Gooch (Roberts, 80), Evans, Matete, Cirkin; Pritchard (Embleton. 74), Broadhead (Clarke, 69), Stewart

Subs: Hume, Hoffmann, Neil, Doyle

Charlton Athletic XI: MacGillivray, Gunter, Purrington, Dobson, Pearce, Jaiyesimi, Fraser (Gilbey, 65), Stockley, Lavelle, Lee, Burstow (Leko, 71)

Subs: Harness, Famewo, Morgan, John, Matthews

Bookings: Lavelle, 17 Lee, 39 Dobson, 72 Purrington, 78 Clarke, 79 Cirkin, 83

Attendance: 13,716