And after Cattermole's goal almost sealed the victory for Sunderland, Zhao Zhao became even calmer.
Because he knew that the match was effectively over at this point…
However, he still made some substitutions, sending Anichebe, Rodwell, McNair, and other players onto the field to maintain the team's vitality.
And in the final 20 minutes, neither side scored again.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the scoreboard at Kingston Communications Stadium displayed the final result of the match: 1-3.
Sunderland defeated Hull City away, winning this crucial relegation battle!
And with that final whistle, the stadium was silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous boos.
These boos spread to every corner of the stadium, reaching everyone's ears.
At this moment, every Hull City fan was furiously venting their dissatisfaction.
This was because, almost simultaneously, the results of other matches had also reached them.
In another relegation battle, Swansea, fighting for survival, surprisingly defeated Watford 2-0!
As a result, Watford's points were fixed at 38, while Swansea rose to 35 points.
And due to the outcome of this match at Kingston Communications Stadium, Sunderland also now had 38 points, while Hull City only had 34 points.
Adding Middlesbrough, who also lost and had already been relegated, with only one Premier League match remaining this season, the standings for the bottom teams were as follows:
16th place, Watford, 38 points.
17th place, Sunderland, 38 points.
18th place, Swansea, 35 points.
19th place, Hull City, 34 points.
20th place, Middlesbrough, 28 points.
Although 14th and 15th placed Burnley and Crystal Palace also lost this round, given the current point situation, 40 points and 39 points were already enough for them to secure their Premier League status.
And because Hull City already had a four-point gap with 17th placed Sunderland, Hull City was relegated early!
This, of course, made the Hull City fans at the stadium extremely dissatisfied.
In recent years, Hull City had been fluctuating between the Premier League and the EFL Championship, and last season they were promoted through the play-offs after much hardship.
As fans, they naturally hoped to stay in the Premier League and enjoy high-level matches!
But they didn't expect to be relegated back to the EFL Championship after just one season…
The main reason was that the course of today's match was a bit hard for them to accept.
If they could have successfully defeated Sunderland, Hull City would still have had hope of survival!
And they actually scored first, leading 1-0!
But the subsequent progression of the match greatly disappointed the fans.
Coach Marco Silva can be said to have been completely defeated in the tactical battle against opposing Coach Zhao Zhao!
In the later stages of the match, Hull City was constantly led by the nose by Sunderland, and was beaten without any fight.
Except for the initial goal, Sunderland was pressing Hull City the entire time, and all the chances belonged to the opponent!
Hull City fans, of course, could not accept such a scene and result.
So now, they could only express their dissatisfaction with their boos.
And some heartbroken fans were even washing their faces with tears…
As the saying goes, one family rejoices, another grieves.
On the other side, the Sunderland fans who came to support their team away were, of course, ecstatic!
After securing this crucial victory, although Sunderland had not yet secured their Premier League status, they were very close!
Due to leading 18th placed Swansea by three points, they only needed to avoid defeat in the final round of the League to truly secure their Premier League status.
Of course, if Sunderland lost to Watford, who had the same points, in the final round…
There was still danger.
Because Swansea's final opponent was West Bromwich Albion, who had nothing left to play for, if they won, their points would also reach 38, the same as Sunderland if they lost.
And Swansea's current goal difference was -26, which was also the same as Sunderland's -26.
But if Swansea won and Sunderland lost, Swansea's goal difference would exceed Sunderland's, so Sunderland would be relegated!
Conversely, if Sunderland defeated Watford, and Swansea defeated West Bromwich Albion, then Watford would be relegated.
Because Watford's goal difference was also -26!
And if Sunderland drew with Watford, they would both secure their Premier League status, and whatever Swansea did would be useless…
It could be said that the relegation situation for these three teams was still quite delicate.
But for the current Sunderland fans, they were not thinking too much, but rather enjoying the victory of this match first!
They also had confidence in this Sunderland team, that they would not stumble in the final match.
After all, since Zhao Zhao took charge of Sunderland, this team had gradually shown its strength.
After the initial two-match adaptation period, except for losing to Chelsea away by sending out substitutes and youth team players, Zhao Zhao's team actually achieved a perfect winning record against the other six teams!
They snatched 18 points here!
18 points from seven matches!
It should be known that Sunderland had only managed a pitiful 20 points in the previous 30 matches…
Such efficiency in gaining points allowed Sunderland to gradually escape the almost certain fate of relegation and reach the end.
Moreover, the team's actual performance in the matches was also very pleasing.
Taking today's match as an example, the players' resilience when trailing, their tireless running throughout the match, and the overall tactical execution, all left the fans in awe.
In the fans' eyes, it was precisely because of Zhao Zhao, this mysterious force from the ancient East, that Sunderland was reborn from death and transformed into a formidable team that everyone feared!
How could the fans not have confidence when facing the challenge of the final round in such a state!
And for this reason, when Zhao Zhao led the players to the away stand and waved to the fans who had traveled far, he received enthusiastic applause in return!
And soon, a chorus of singing erupted in the stands.
This time, it was not "sunderland 'til i die," which was most frequently heard in the Sunderland stands.
But a brand new song.
This was specially composed by the fans for Coach Zhao Zhao!
"Zhao Zhao, Zhao Zhao, he is our Coach;"
"He comes from China, from the ancient East;"
"He is handsome, he suits our temperament, and he has magical Eastern magic!"
"He leads us to survival, he leads us forward, he brings us victory after victory!"
"Yes, Zhao Zhao!"
"He is the most handsome Coach in the world, and also the best Coach in the world!"
…