Sunderland 1-1 Luton: Player Ratings as Amad salvages deserved point

Who impressed as Sunderland earned a point against Championship high-flyers Luton?

Rob Cairns | Mar 18, 2023

Sunderland 1-1 Luton: Player Ratings as Amad salvages deserved point /

Sunderland finally got the rub of the green from a referee as they earned a deserved point against high-flying Luton.

Amad Diallo won and scored what was undoubtedly a soft penalty late on to secure a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light, and Sunderland might have fancied themselves to win it in the end.

It was a decent performance against a very good side, so who impressed most on the day?

Sunderland player ratings vs Luton Town

Anthony Patterson - Should have done better for Luton's goal, but there seemed to be a subtle deflection which didn't help him. His kicking was generally decent, as was his handling. Needs to be backed rather than berated. 6

Trai Hume - Still showing loads of character and quality. Has a tendency to want to make an early challenge, instead of showing patience, occasionally leading to him being beaten by his man. Needs to iron that out. 7

Dan Ballard - Very good as always. 7

Danny Batth - Similar to his centre back partner. The current dip in form isn't down to those two. 7

Luke O'Nien - A far far better footballer than he's given credit for. From the 60th minute on he started spraying outrageous first time balls on both feet all over the pitch. As he has been in most games this season, one of our better players on the pitch. 8

Dan Neil - Hit the post with a great strike in the first half, but gave it away sloppily a few times after that. Was excellent for a long while after the World Cup but starting to tail off a bit now, understandably. Played a lot of football this season, and Corry Evans' absence is starting to show. 6

Edouard Michut - Tidy as usual. Luton's physicality made it difficult for him, and he's still got a lot of developing to do if he's going to control games against opposition like that. 6

Jack Clarke - Had a great battle with his opposing fullback, often coming out on top. Been arguably our best attacking player of late - albeit that isn't saying a huge amount. A lesson in persevering with a good player through a bad spell and reaping the rewards. 7

Abdoullah Ba - No doubting his quality, but he seems to get a fairly easy ride for the amount of sloppy moments he has. If he were a local lad he might get more stick for his performances. Didn't happen for him today. 5

Patrick Roberts - Showed flashes of the brilliance we know he possesses, but didn't do much to influence the game. 6

Joe Gelhardt - Not his fault that he's entirely the wrong man to be playing as a lone centre forward. Worked hard and battled. Snatched at a few opportunities. 6

SUBS

Amad Diallo - Won and scored an extremely soft penalty. Not as brilliant as he was earlier in the season, but still has the quality to make the crucial difference. 7

Jewison Bennette - Bright and direct. He's shown plenty to be excited about this season and is still growing into his body. I hope he features more prominently next season. He's still only 18. No rush. 7

Pierre Ekwah - After a ropey first few minutes, he did really well to settle down and play sensible passes, keeping the pressure on Luton. The fact he doesn't look the most natural of footballers shouldn't blind us from seeing the positive stuff he does on the pitch. 7

Alex Pritchard - Has to go right back into the starting eleven. Not just for his quality, but also his experience and composure. Played the one-two which got Amad in to win the penalty. Added guile, quality and a bit of patience to the attack. 7

Lynden Gooch - Made a difference when he came on. Got on the ball and showed the kind of belief that a very young side can sometimes lack. Made a case to start again after the international break. 7

Sunderland player ratings vs Luton Town

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