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