Erik ten Hag was impressed by Amad‘s amazing goal, which started Sunderland’s comeback and moved the Wearside team closer to the Premier League.
The winger on loan from Manchester United hit a great shot from 30 yards out to tie the game. Then, Trai Hume’s header gave Tony Mowbray’s team the win. Luton’s first loss in 14 games came against Sunderland, whose summer goal Jobe Bellingham was in the stands. Bellingham could move to Sunderland from Birmingham.
And they haven’t lost in ten games, with the second leg of the match on Tuesday at Kenilworth Road. Amad’s best chance of playing for Sunderland next season, which is an option he is open to, is to get them back into the Premier League, which is a job he is happy to do.
At the start of the game, it was loud and reverberating, just like the Stadium of Light used to be. Mowbray’s team walked out to a “Til the End” sign. Even making it to the playoffs was a bit of a wonder, and their injuries were even worse here, so they had to play with a back three that didn’t have any recognized center-backs.
But they made up for their lack of height with skill, flow, and energy in front of 46,060 fans. The way Mowbray’s team played was so good that it was hard for Lutonto take the ball away from them. They made the most of their skills with the ball. Patrick Roberts, Diallo, Alex Pritchard, and Jack Clarke all kept attacking Luton with good play.
In the 11th minute, Luton took the lead by taking advantage of the lack of height in the home defense. From a corner kick, the away team got three headers, and Alfie Doughty scored after Gabe Osho’s shot fell to him. Elijah Adebayo scored when he volleyed the ball in from close range after Anthony Patterson’s quick block. It was a weakness that any coach would try to take advantage of, but Sunderland didn’t have a solution.
Adebayo’s shot was blocked by Trai Hume, which saved him a second. But Sunderland never lie down. Alex Pritchard passed the ball to Amad on the right wing. Amad then cut inside and fired a twisting shot from 30 yards away. It was faster than Ethan Horvath and came in first, giving Amad his 14th win of the season.
When Ten Hag returns to United for their pre-season games, he will get another look at the £20 million signing from Atalanta. Four times in a row, these two teams have tied 1-1. Sunderland pushed for the lead and got it in the 63rd minute.
Surprisingly, it came from a header, since Pierre Ekwah was theonly player on the field who was taller than 6 feet. Jack Clarke sent a cross in from the left wing, and Hume headed it past Horvath near the post. In the other League One playoff semi-final, Dion Charles scored an equalizer in the second half to give Bolton a 1-1 tie with Barnsley in the first match. The Northern Ireland player scored his 21st league goal just four minutes after Barnsley’s Nicky Cadden looked like he might put them in the lead for the second game next Friday at Oakwell.
The winner will play either Sheffield Wednesday or Peterborough at Wembley for the chance to join Plymouth and Ipswich in the Championship next season.
In League Two‘s first semi-final, Salford City also got out to an early lead against Stockport County. On Sunday, Bradford City will host Carlisle United in the second semi-final.