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Sunderland 2-0 Middlesbrough: Player Ratings as Black Cats get back to winning ways

Who impressed for Sunderland as they beat Middlesbrough at the Stadium of Light?

Rob Cairns

Sunderland 2-0 Middlesbrough: Player Ratings as Black Cats get back to winning ways
Sunderland 2-0 Middlesbrough: Player Ratings as Black Cats get back to winning ways /

Sunderland got back to winning ways after producing a fine performance to beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at the Stadium of light.

The Black Cats were the better team throughout, and Middlesbrough were lucky to get in at half-time on level terms.

However, Boro defender Dael Fry was red-carded early in the second half for hauling down Ross Stewart when he was running in on goal. The officials also adjudged it to be in the box, and Stewart converted the penalty despite his initial effort being saved.

From there, the contest was largely over despite a good spirited spell by the visitors.

Amad Diallo added a second late on to move Sunderland to within one point of the play-off places.

Here is how the Sunderland players rated on the day. 

Sunderland player ratings vs Middlesbrough

Anthony Patterson - Didn't have a great deal to do, but what he did, he did competently. 6

Trai Hume - Growing week by week. He can really play, creating lovely triangles with Amad and Roberts, toying with the Middlesbrough defence at times. He seems to be in the Trent Alexander-Arnold mould of right-back; a cultured footballer who you could easily imagine slotting into midfield.  He switched over to left-back when Alese went off and again did really well, although he's clearly more comfortable defending on the right. As with a lot of our young players, you expect inconsistency, but he seems to have maturity beyond his years. 9

Dan Ballard - He and Batth were relatively untested, but when attacks did come, they stood up to them well. His composure with the ball at his feet is a real asset, particularly when O'Nien is out of the side. 8

Danny Batth - Picked up where he left off after returning from injury. Matt Crooks, who isn't small himself, got very little joy against our colossal centre-back pairing. 8

Aji Alese - Crucial to have him back. His speed, energy and left-footedness provided balance to our team. His substitution looked precautionary rather than serious. Hopefully that's the case. 8

Corry Evans - Unfortunately went off injured early. 6

Dan Neil - Astonishingly good. The perfect blend of quality, grit and intelligence. With the ball he consistently made the right decisions, knowing when to go simple, knowing when to play through the lines, knowing when to spread play. Without, he was tireless. In a crowded field, I think this was his best performance for Sunderland. 9

Jack Clarke - While his tendency to hold onto the ball can be frustrating, he sucks in defenders and creates space for others. Obviously most of our attacking output is coming from the right hand side of the pitch at the moment, but his willingness to pull his weight defensively shouldn't go unnoticed. 6

Amad Diallo - Scored a typically quality goal to seal the victory and interchanged with Roberts beautifully. He also probably should have scored in the first half after intercepting a dire Steffen pass, and got caught offside a few times. Maybe I'm being harsh on him because he's such a good player, but by his standards he's been a touch wasteful since Blackburn. Still, a not quite at the top of his game Amad, is still a serious threat for any team in this league. 8

Patrick Roberts - God he's a good player. Heavily involved in both goals, and just glided past Middlesbrough defenders all afternoon. On showings like this, Mowbray's 'best player in the league' claims don't seem too farfetched. 9

Ross Stewart - I've run out of ways to say that Ross Stewart is just a brilliant, complete striker. He did what he does every single game. Harried defenders, ran on the last man, held the ball up and scored. In Speakman I have total faith - but also, give him the contract. 9

SUBS 

Edouard Michut - Something seems to have clicked recently. Despite still looking 12 years old, there's a maturity and assuredness in his demeanour now. He moved the ball really neatly and got stuck in when required. 8

Bailey Wright - Possibly lucky not to have given away a pen, bundling through the back of Chuba Akpom player in the box late on. Aside from that he helped see the game out. I think his experience would be a loss if he were to leave for Scotland this window, as has been speculated. 6

Aboullah Ba - Didn't have a great deal of time to effect things, but looked energetic and sharp as usual. 6

Jewison Bennette - Like Clarke who he replaced, he's incredibly direct and one-footed. As we've seen with Michut and Ba recently, I expect it's only a matter of time before he's integrated as a more prominent squad member. His tendency to go on the outside certainly makes him a very different option. 6

Man of the Match - Dan Neil -  A couple of late misplaced passes when Boro applied some pressure are the only thing stopping me from giving my first 10 of the season. Majestic.

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Rob Cairns
ROB CAIRNS

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