Once again, Sunderland turned it on in the second half to defeat vastly inferior opposition. Here's how the lads rated out of ten...
ANTHONY PATTERSON 7/10: Didn't have a busy afternoon, but did what he had to do and was a solid pair of hands.
CARL WINCHESTER 6/10: Got forward well from defence, and got involved with some smart passing moves. Not as adventurous as he usually is though, and was untested defensively.
BAILEY WRIGHT 7/10: There was a lot of reliance on Wright today, with him being our only centre half. He was also our main distributor of the ball, with Patterson always rolling the ball to the Aussie. He kept things simple on the ball, and was solid at the back.
DENNIS CIRKIN 7/10: Looked comfortable on the left of a back three, pulling out wide and stretching the play. Gave us an extra man when pushing forward, and linked up well with Clarke.
LYNDEN GOOCH 6/10: A mature performance from Gooch, who didn't try to do too much and kept things simple. While he didn't have much of an impact in the final third, it was an industrious display.
JAY MATETE: 6/10: Sloppy in possession, but defended well and got around the pitch. Added a defensive presence with just one centre back on the pitch.
CORRY EVANS: 5/10: Slowed the game down too much, and didn't have much impact on the game as a whole.
LUKE O'NIEN 7/10: Plenty of tenacity as always, winning the ball back high up the pitch. Ran out of steam in the second half before being replaced.
JACK CLARKE 8/10: Worked hard and helped Cirkin defensively. Always looking to take his man on, and showed some quick thinking to release Roberts rather than take the shot on himself.
JERMAIN DEFOE 6/10: Struggled to stay on his feet, going down far too easily in the hunt for soft penalties and free kicks. Couldn't compete physically, and looks like he just needs a goal to get going.
ROSS STEWART 8/10: Plenty of physicality, and held the ball up extremely well to create Neil's opener. Looks rejuvenated up front, and whilst he didn't have any huge chances he was always making smart runs.
SUBS
LEON DAJAKU 7/10: Energetic and stretched the play well. Used his pace to set us off on several counter attacks, and a great ability to draw fouls in the dying stages.
DAN NEIL 8/10: Scored a fantastic opener that essentially won us the game. What more can you say?
PATRICK ROBERTS 8/10: Tidy feet and always positive in possession. Scored a well-taken goal on the counter attack to put the game to bed.
