Stéphane Sessègnon

He converted a penalty of his own making in the 73rd minute, beating Ali Al-Habsi after being tripped by Antolín Alcaraz.

Sessègnon had been forced to play in an unfamiliar role as a lone striker, after injuries to strikers Danny Welbeck and Asamoah Gyan during the match.

Sessègnon scored in Sunderland's home defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers, and again in the final match of the season, a 0–3 win at West Ham United.

Stéphane Sessègnon (born 1 June 1984) is a Beninese professional footballer who plays for Sirens in the Maltese Premier League.

He followed this up with an 89th-minute equaliser against Aston Villa a week later, also providing an assist and winning man of the match.

Sessègnon made his debut on the opening match day of the 2004–05 Ligue 2 season against Stade Reims as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat.

He scored his first goals on 14 January 2005, a brace in a span of four minutes, in a 3–0 win over Gueugnon.

Keen on a move to Ligue 1, Sessègnon signed a three-year deal with Le Mans on 19 May 2006.

He made his debut for the club in a league match against Troyes, appearing as a substitute in a 2–2 draw.

After featuring as a substitute in his first five appearances, and receiving a straight red card in a match against Sedan, he earned his first start on 4 November 2006 against Auxerre.

Two weeks later, he scored his first career goal for Le Mans in a 1–1 draw with Rennes.

Initially used as a holding midfielder at Le Mans, Sessègnon was given a more advanced role for the 2007–08 season, often starting on the right side of the midfield or as an attacker.

In this new role, he scored both goals in the club's 3–2 defeat to giants Lyon on 1 September 2007.

He scored again the following week in a 1–0 victory over Valenciennes.

Sessègnon also helped the club reach the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue that season although they lost to Lens in a thrilling 5–4 defeat in extra time, Sessègnon playing the entire 120 minutes.

Due to his success at Le Mans, Sessègnon was scouted by larger clubs such as Premier League sides Arsenal and Newcastle United.

However, he remained in France by signing a four-year deal with Paris Saint Germain.

The fee was said to be in the range of €8–10 million.

He is a Benin international, having represented the nation at the 2008, 2010 and 2019 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Sessègnon plays a variety of positions as a forward, a winger and as a midfield offensive playmaker.

He is Benin's all-time top scorer and appearance maker with 24 international goals in 89 matches.

Sessègnon began his career in Cotonou with Benin Premier League side Requins de l'Atlantique, which means the Sharks of the Atlantic in French.

After spending only a year in the club's senior team, he moved to France to join Créteil, based in the Parisian suburbs, where he joined fellow international Noël Séka.

Sessègnon made his league debut with the club on 16 August 2008, starting in the 1–0 win against Bordeaux.

The following match day, he scored his first goal for PSG in a 1–1 draw with Sochaux.

On 13 December 2008, Sessègnon scored his third career brace against Auxerre in a 2–1 victory.

For his positive performances, he was named the UNFP Player of the Month for December.

Sessègnon also appeared in nine matches in the UEFA Cup, scoring one goal against Dutch club Twente.

Several clubs contacted PSG in the off-season to discuss Sessègnon's availability, with Premier League clubs Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton and Manchester City being the primary suitors.

Taking advantage of the considerable interest in him, Sessègnon issued a public demand on 23 June that his parent club give him a pay raise, stating, "I think I am one of the best performers in the club."

The firing of PSG manager Paul Le Guen also played a role in his demands, and two weeks later, Sessègnon and the club reached an agreement on a contract extension with the player set to receive a substantial pay raise.

In the 2010–11 season, Sessègnon struggled to make an impact with the first team after manager Antoine Kombouaré relegated him to a substitute's role.

Friction between player and manager reached its zenith in December 2010, when Sessègnon accused Kombouaré of insulting him during a one-on-one interview ahead of the team's match against Nancy on 19 December.

Sessègnon subsequently confirmed his desire to leave the club in the January window and, as a sign of his intent, refused to join Paris Saint-Germain on its winter training camp in Morocco.

On 29 January 2011, Sessègnon departed Paris Saint-Germain to join English club Sunderland.

He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract and the transfer fee was priced at £6 million, and made his debut on 1 February against Chelsea.

He made his second start for the Black Cats in 3–2 away loss against Stoke City on 5 February 2011.

His first real successful moment as a Sunderland player after a disappointing start came on 23 April, where he scored his first goal for the club in the 4–2 win over Wigan Athletic.

In his second season at Sunderland, Sessègnon scored his first goal of the season against Bolton Wanderers on 22 October 2011.

Though Créteil finished in 15th position, Sessègnon was labelled a revelation as he was the primary bright spot in helping the club escape relegation.