Another home defeat for Sunderland

5:24pm Saturday 29th November 2008

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SUNDERLAND 1 BOLTON 4

• Read match analysis in the blog section here

Roy Keane's increasingly precarious position as Sunderland boss suffered another blow today as he watched his side squander an early lead and press the self-destruct button against Bolton at the Stadium of Light.

Keane watched stony-faced as Johan Elmander took advantage of two horrendous defensive blunders to send Bolton soaring to their second win in the north-east in seven days in some style.

It was the fifth home Barclays Premier League defeat of the season for Keane's men and following last Sundays reversal to West Ham the result must leave the Irishman's position in some doubt.

Such crisis talk seemed light years away when Djibril Cisse finished off a fine 11th-minute move involving Kieran Richardson and Steed Malbranque to give his side a deserved lead.

Within nine minutes Bolton were ahead through Matt Taylor and Gary Cahill before Elmander capitalised on blunders by first Danny Collins and then Dean Whitehead to give the visitors an unassailable advantage.

As many fans headed for the exits, Elmander had a number of chances to complete his hat-trick and heap even more woe upon the dejected home team and their manager.

Kenwyne Jones had already forced a save out of Jussi Jaaskelainen before Cisse grabbed the lead, and it looked like the home side may have heeded Keane's call for a quick response in fine fashion.

But the visitors were level in the 17th minute when Gretar Steinssons deep right-wing cross was met by a looping header from Taylor in the box which beat Craig Gordon and nudged home off the underside of the bar.

Wanderers grabbed the lead three minutes later when Andy O'Brien launched a long free-kick into the Sunderland box and the ball sprang loose to Cahill who lashed it home low past Gordon.

Sunderland thought they were level on the half-hour when Cisse blasted the ball home after Jones header to meet Phil Bardsleys cross had clattered the bar - but referee Chris Foy ruled Jones had fouled J lloyd Samuel while climbing for the ball.

The non-stop action continued at the other end with Elmander bursting clear and rounding the struggling Gordon on the edge of the box before screwing a left-foot shot wide from a tight angle.

Gordon, back for his first match in almost two months after injury, was having a shocker but Sunderland's lively front men were doing their best to save his blushes and Malbranque was next to flash a shot just wide.

Bolton increased their lead in the 38th minute when Collins made a complete mess of a long punt out of the visitors box, allowing Elmander to nip in and prod the easiest of chances past Gordon.

And the home side blew it again in the 54th minute when Whitehead stumbled over a clearance and let in Kevin Nolan to feed Elmander, who fired home his second from the left side of the box.

Keane made a double substitution introducing Teemu Tainio and Liam Miller but the move was met by boos from the restless home fans who by now were beginning to exit the stadium.

In complete contrast, £10 million man Elmander was oozing confidence from his two clinical finishes to add to the fine late strike with which he had broken his long barren spell last week.

The Swede should have completed his hat-trick in the 74th minute when he was sent clear by Kevin Davies but this time pulled his left-foot shot just wide of Gordon's left-hand post.