Down: Jan Kirchhoff
Premier League debuts are supposed to be memorable. Sunderland’s new signing Jan Kirchhoff’s was exactly that, but for all the wrong reasons.
Coming on in the 59th minute in a delicately poised game with high-flying Tottenham Hotspur, Kirchhoff had the opportunity to show what he could do by shoring up the Black Cats defence for a memorable point. That, sadly did not happen.
Sunderland conceded almost immediately after his introduction, and with a mountain to climb, were let down by Kirchhoff who stood off Christian Eriksen, deflecting in his speculative effort. Now 3-1 down, Sunderland needed calm heads at the back to stop the result getting any worse and damaging their goal difference, but a clumsy foul on Danny Rose by their new man allowed Harry Kane to extend the lead to 4-1 from the penalty spot.
It may not have been as bad as Jonathan Woodgate’s Real Madrid bow, but Kirchhoff’s first Sunderland appearance will certainly go down in the history of disaster debuts.
Receive weekly football news and updates to your mailbox
