Sunderland 3-1 Plymouth: Player ratings as Black Cats battle back to win

Who impressed and who did not as Sunderland put together a brilliant second half performance to beat Plymouth at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland battled back from a goal down and a sloppy first half to carve out an ultimately impressive 3-1 win over Plymouth.

It was certainly a game of two halves, but in the good way, the generally un-Sunderland way of winning a game after a poor first half rather than losing it after a good first half.

The win was also a valuable one with it continuing Sunderland's promotion push. 

So, who in the Sunderland side impressed on the day and who failed to sparkle?

---

Sunderland player ratings v Plymouth (4-3-3)

GK: Anthony Patterson - Fair to say it wasn't his most convincing performance, and he was lucky not to be lobbed from the halfway line. 5/10

RB: Trai Hume - Like most of the Sunderland defence, a little sloppy in the first half but much improved after the break. 7/10

CB: Luke O'Nien (c) - The pick of the Sunderland defenders. 8/10

CB: Dan Ballard - Not as his dominant best but solid nonetheless. 7/10

LB: Leo Hjelde - A poor first half on his home debut but looked much more settled in the second half. 6/10

CM: Pierre Ekwah - Dropped back to a deeper position again and not quite at level we know he can be. Scored the all important equaliser, though. 7/10

CM: Dan Neil - Another outstanding performance from arguably the best midfield player in the division. 9/10

AM: Abdoullah Ba - Just doesn't look like a central player and his performance suffered as a result. No shortage of endeavour, though. 6/10

RW: Patrick Roberts - Lively yet a bit unproductive again. Nice to see him back and starting again, though. 6/10

CF: Nazariy Rusyn - Loads of running, endless effort and incisive movement. No goal but loads to like. 7/10 

LW: Jack Clarke - Brilliant goal and a very good overall performance. It has just become the norm, though. 8/10

---

Substitutes

Jobe Bellingham: Scored a brilliant goal almost immediately after coming on. Able to effect the game against tired Plymouth legs. 7/10

Chris Rigg: Didn't influence the game like Jobe did, but still showed plenty. Nice to see him getting minutes again. 6/10

Romaine Mundle: Maybe a bit too eager to impress on his debut, but enough to feel encouraged by. 6/10

Adil Aouchiche: Not enough time to make his presence felt. N/A

---

The Manager

Michael Beale: Probably got the shape wrong first half, but clearly changed things at half time and made substitutions that positively impacted the game. Fair play. 7/10

---

The Referee

IMAGO / News Images

Anthony Backhouse: Bizarre fascination with giving former Sunderland player Bali Mumba every time he fell over, and made one of two other odd decisions throughout the game. Not a horror show by any means, though. 6/10

---

READ MORE SUNDERLAND NEWS

• Sunderland contract situation: Who is nearing the end of their current deal?
• Top Ten: Sunderland's best ever January signings
• Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham names two former Sunderland players as his heroes
• Jordan Willis and seven other Sunderland careers ruined by injury
• Sell to thrive, not sell to survive: The Sunderland 'model' explained - in their own words
• Luke O'Nien and eight other Sunderland players who successfully changed positions