Bolton 0 - 2 Sunderland

	Craddock celebrates the killer goal (GaryMPrior/Allsport)

Both bosses were in agreement that the game's fortunes hinged on Thomas Sorensen's 61st-minute penalty save at a time when the goalkeeper alone was keeping Sunderland in the game.

Bolton manager Allardyce said: 'For us to miss that was extremely disappointing. It was a great save from Sorensen whose goalkeeping today was the difference between the two sides. I thought scoring the penalty would have seen us through but it was not to be.'

The term 'great' is an overused one, particularly when applied to a Dane. But Sorensen earned the doubtful canine sobriquet with saves that kept Sunderland in the game and provided them with the platform from which they launched their late smash'n'grab.

Sorensen's four-match absence with a badly broken nose has been a telling one. His return brought assurance to the defence and helped Stanislav Varga settle quickly in his first League game of the season.

He showed a flash of what Sunderland had been missing when he went full length to save from Jermaine Johnson after half an hour but that was only a taster.

In the 63rd minute he denied the Bolton player with a point-blank save after Johnson had brushed aside Michael Gray's challenge. A

minute later Bolton were foiled again by another stop that Reid described as 'sheer class'. The save completed an eventful 19 minutes for Dane Per Frandsen, who had come on as a half-time replacement for Kevin Nolan.

Frandsen was booked in the 50th minute for a heavy late challenge on Darren Williams and then he stepped up to the penalty spot after Gray was judged by David Elleray to have pulled back Ricardo Gardner.

The countrymen faced each other but Sorensen won the day with a superb onehanded save to push Frandsen's effort around a post. He kept the Bolton midfielder off the scoresheet again with another magnificent effort, grabbing a 73rd-minute 20-yarder. He was still at it in the dying seconds, standing his ground to beat out Gardner's close-range shot.

By then the points had gone beyond home recall, plundered by two acts of goal poaching when the game's keepers were caught nap-ping. In the 77th minute the ever-alert Kevin Phillips pounced in front of goal to shoot past Jussi Jaaskelainen for his 100th league goal after Kevin Kilbane had helped on Julio Arca's corner kick. The Argentine was the chief provider again six minutes later for Jody Craddock's moment of glory.

The defender stole in at the far post past bemused defenders to glance a header into the corner - his first in the Premiership - from Arca's well-placed free-kick.

Manager Reid said: 'You always have a chance with the keeper. He is top drawer, in that world-class bracket. He has a lot of stature about him, the way he commands his box. When he comes for crosses he rarely misses the ball.'

The Sunderland manager was less complimentary about the rest of his team. He said: 'We were poor in virtually every department. We had to have a high workrate because we gave the ball away that often.

'Bolton can feel themselves hard done by. Our passing was dreadful. We had top drawer players out there who couldn't pass the ball 10 yards. The players have assured me they had a day off and I have to accept that.' For Allardyce the lesson learned was a painful one. He said: 'At times the defensive unit was very good but we slipped up on two set-plays which we can't afford to do.

'At the other end we didn't have the cutting edge to take the chances we created and ultimately that is something we will pay the cost far unless we get it right.'