SUNDERLAND (4-2-3-1):
5 Steele: Made a string of saves, but should have left his line for QPR’s goal and struggled with his distribution all game
5 Matthews: Didn’t look comfortable for much of the second half, but was struggling with a knee problem sustained before the break
4 Jones: Had to play at centre-half in the absence of both Kone and Browning, but doesn’t look a natural for the position
5 O’Shea: Still reads the game as effectively as ever, but his lack of mobility was a weakness QPR were clearly keen to exploit
6 Oviedo: Looked to get forward down the left-hand side and was generally the most secure of Sunderland’s defenders
5 Cattermole: Had a fairly quiet afternoon by his usual standards, although a second-half effort was heading in before it was blocked
5 Ndong: Doesn’t look like a club-record signing, even in the Championship – needs to be doing more to influence games
5 Honeyman: Went close with a decent effort that Smithies tipped wide, but was only effective in fleeting patches
7 Watmore: Made an immediate impact on his return to the side, and produced a moment of magic to release McGeady in the first half
7 McGEADY: Atoned for his poor first-half miss by transforming the game after the interval – claimed his fourth Sunderland goal with a superb strike
4 Vaughan: Being a willing enough runner isn’t enough to justify his place in the team – was rightly withdrawn at the interval
Subs:
6 Grabban (for Vaughan, 46): Made a difference as soon as he came on to the field and went close with a near-post effort that was saved
6 Williams (for Honeyman, 58): Constantly wanted possession, and while not everything worked, his positive outlook helped push Sunderland on
McManaman (for Watmore, 79)
(not used): Ruiter (gk), Love, Gibson, Gooch.
QPR (3-4-2-1):
Smithies 6; Baptiste 7, Lynch 7, Bidwell 6; Wszolek 6 (Osayi-Samuel 76), Luongo 6, Manning 6, FREEMAN 7; Sylla 6, Scowen 5; Mackie 6 (Washington 67, 5).
Subs (not used): Lumley (gk), Furlong, Smith, N’Gbakoto, Wheeler.
Man Of The Match: AIDEN McGEADY – The Irishman is the one Sunderland player capable of producing a game-changing moment of magic.
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