Sunderland 1-0 Hull City; Talbi strike sends Black Cats into Carabao Cup fourth round

Sunderland advanced to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 victory over Hull City at the Stadium of Light.

Chemsdine Talbi scored the only goal of the game early in the second half, producing an excellent solo finish to settle a largely uneventful contest.

The victory also provided a timely boost for Talbi, whose future at Sunderland had been uncertain in recent days after he was left out of Regis Le Bris’ squad for their Europa League campaign.

Both sides made significant changes for the cup tie, with Sunderland making a complete change to their starting XI and Hull City making eight alterations.

Among the players making their debuts were Malick Fofana for the Black Cats and Robinho Vaz, Mohamed-Ali Cho and Sorba Thomas for the Tigers.

The visitors started brightly and thought they had a chance to take the lead when Vaz went down inside the Sunderland penalty area after a challenge from Luke O’Nien.

Hull appealed for a penalty, but the referee waved away their protests and play continued without the hosts being seriously threatened.

Clear-cut chances were difficult to come by during the opening period, with Sunderland gradually taking control of possession and territory without being able to turn their dominance into a goal.

The Black Cats eventually began to create more openings after the interval, and their pressure was rewarded shortly after the restart.

Thomas Meunier was introduced from the bench and immediately played an important role in the breakthrough, finding Talbi with a pass during a Sunderland counter-attack.

Talbi then produced the moment of quality the game had been missing, carrying the ball forward and beating several Hull defenders before lifting a composed finish over goalkeeper Dillon Phillips.

The goal was particularly significant given the uncertainty surrounding the Moroccan winger’s future during the final days of the transfer window.

Talbi had been linked with a move away from Sunderland after being omitted from Le Bris’ European squad, with Turkish and Saudi Arabian clubs still able to make moves after the major European transfer windows had closed.

Galatasaray and Al-Ittihad were among the clubs reportedly linked with the winger, but his decisive contribution against Hull will come as a welcome development for Sunderland.

Hull struggled to find a response after falling behind, with Sunderland’s defence largely comfortable as the visitors searched for an equaliser.

Joe Gelhardt came closest to getting the Tigers back into the game when he fired an effort over the crossbar, but Hull were unable to seriously test Sunderland in the closing stages.

The Black Cats saw out the remainder of the contest without too much difficulty to secure their place in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

The result gives Sunderland further momentum ahead of a huge Premier League test this weekend when Arsenal visit the Stadium of Light.

Le Bris’ side will then turn their attention to European football as they prepare for their first continental fixture in more than 50 years against AZ Alkmaar.

Hull, meanwhile, will look to maintain their unbeaten league start when they travel to Stamford Bridge to face Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea in another major test.