The Match
City showed two changes from the side that started the Youth Cup final, Adam Clayton replacing the injured Vladimir Weiss, and Filip Mentel returning for Greg Hartley in goal.
There was a decent turnout from fans and staff from both clubs, with Roy Keane looking on. The visitors were as uncompromising as in the semi final, Mentel needing treatment after colliding with Waghorn in the area and Ben Mee having to leave the pitch for a while after a hefty clash with the same player. In between these incidents, Mentel had recovered well to block Waghorn after not making it to the ball outside the area.
Chances were at a premium before the break, with the main incidents coming when the City bench objected to some of the heavy challenges that were flying in.
But City took the lead just four minutes into second half, Dedryck Boyata rising to a McDermott corner and powering an unstoppable header past Sunderland’s keeper Dan Staples.
Waghorn missed a great chance two minutes later, pulling his shot wide of the left post, but the visitors did pull level on 57 minutes. Hourihane swung in a corner, Mentel failed to claim it after coming out and Liam Noble headed it home.
It was a totally different game now, and City retook the lead a minute later when Donal McDermott tore in from the left flank and drove his shot into the bottom corner. It became 3-1 on 61 minutes, Ryan McGivern poking it just over the line after a pinball session at a corner. It was the Ulsterman’s third goal against the Black Cats, after he had bagged both in the first leg semi final win last month.
We still were not done with the goals though, as Nathan Luscombe pulled it back to 3-2 when he stabbed in a Hourihane free kick from close range on 66 minutes.
The Blues were just inches away from extending their lead with 17 minutes to go, McGivern seeing his header from McDermott’s corner cleared off the line.
Dan Staples kept it at 3-2 with eight minutes left, making a great save to deny Tutte, but Robbie Mak could not put the rebound away and saw his shot skew wide.
The visitors threw everything forward as time ran out, winning a succession of corners but then deep into stoppage time Robbie Mak broke downfield on a Weiss-like run and was hauled down by Staples in the area. With David Ball off the field, Kieren Trippier stepped up and calmly sent the keeper the wrong way to seal a fine win after a second half goal frenzy.
Goals: 1-0 (Boyata 49), 1-1 (Noble 57), 2-1 (McDermott 59), 3-1 (McGivern 61), 3-2 (Luscombe 66), 4-2 (Trippier pen 90)
City: Mentel, Trippier, McGivern, Boyata, Mee, Kay, Clayton (Ibrahim 89), Tutte, Mak, Ball (Poole 54), McDermott.
Unused subs: Obeng, Hartley, McDonald.
Sunderland: Staples, Kay, Liddle, Noble, Cornforth, Brown, Henderson (Cook 88), Colback, Waghorn (Galer 65), Hourihane, Luscombe.
Unused subs: Hunter, McArdle, Reid.
Bookings:
City: Mee (84)
Sunderland: Henderson (29), Waghorn (42), Cornforth (85), Staples (90)
