Sports

Bottom-place Sunderland win first match of EPL season

Bottom-place Sunderland win first match of EPL season

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sunderland's Paddy McNair, left, is challenged by Bournemouth's Dan Gosling during their English Premier League soccer match at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England, Saturday Nov. 5, 2016. (Steven Paston / PA via AP)

BOURNEMOUTH: Victor Anichebe inspired bottom-place Sunderland to its first success in the English Premier League, scoring the opener and winning a penalty in a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday. Anichebe, whose only notable contribution this term had been a Twitter gaffe after the recent defeat at West Ham, was handed a first league start by under-pressure manager David Moyes. And the striker responded with his first goal in 18 months, to cancel out Dan Gosling's opener, before winning the penalty which Jermain Defoe dispatched to seal a 2-1 victory. The win was all the more remarkable given Sunderland's Steven Pienaar was sent off with half an hour to go for a challenge on Junior Stanislas.