It's taken Sunderland just a few minutes to find a break through at the Britannia Stadium through Kieran Richardson. On a cold, wet and windy day in Staffordshire, Sunderland's Phil Bardsley found Asamoah Gyan in the box but the Ghanaian whiffed his shot.
Stoke City Vs. Sunderland: Kieran Richardson Blasts Sunderland Into Early Lead
Lucky for Sunderland and especially Kieran Richardson, the ball found its way into the path of the Englishman who blasted emphatically past Asmir Begovic from close range. Richardson currently can't stop scoring for the Black Cats and has now netted four goals in his last five games.
As the game progresses but is still in its infancy, Stoke City have come close at the other end when Robert Huth hit Craig Gordon's post from a Stoke set piece. In the game's early tactical note, Sunderland, under Steve Bruce, have elected to implement three center backs in the heart of their defense in order to deal with Stoke's aerial threat. The Black Cats have also started Stephane Sessegnon just off of main central striker Asamoah Gyan.
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