Goals:
1-0: Lundstram (36, side-footed a first time finish inside Ruiter’s bottom left corner after Duffy’s clever pass)
2-0: Stearman (58, dived unmarked to head Duffy’s corner in off Ruiter’s left hand post)
3-0: Baldock (62, coasted in from the right to power an O’Connell delivery beyond Ruiter)
Bookings: Wilson (51, foul); Oviedo (58, foul); Basham (77, foul)
Sending-off: None
Referee: Peter Bankes (Liverpool) – not even the man in the middle can be blamed for this sorry performance. 7
Attendance: 30,668
Entertainment: **
SheffU Sund
Shots on 4 0
Shots off 6 7
Corners 6 0
Fouls 12 11
Offsides 3 1
SHEFFIELD UNITED (3-4-1-2): Moore 6; O’Connell 8, Carter-Vickers 6, Stearman 7; Baldock 7, Basham 6, Lundstram 7, Stevens 6; DUFFY 8 (Carruthers 74); Clarke 7 (Lavery 82), Donaldson 7 (Lafferty 89). Subs (not used): Thomas, Sharp, Wright, Blackman (gk).
SUNDERLAND (5-3-2):
5 Ruiter: Can’t be blamed for the goals he conceded but still guilty of being part of a losing team;
4 Matthews: Couldn’t get going and wasted a couple of deliveries down his side
4 Browning: Gave the ball away a couple of times and unable to build on a positive start
5 O’Shea: Caught out a couple of times and has played a lot more football recently than many expected
4 Wilson: Started promisingly but then caught out more as the minutes wore on before the Blades too control
4 Oviedo: Made some stupid decisions on the ball and conceded a couple of daft free-kicks;
5 GIBSON: Given the runaround by Duffy in the middle but could have done with more help in there
4 Honeyman: Unable to influence things despite getting through his usual amount of work
4 Gooch: Ran around plenty but wanted too much time on the ball far too often;
4 McGeady: Had a couple of wayward shots that came to nothing when he could have done with impressing;
5 Vaughan: Won his share of headers but far too isolated and hardly got a touch in and around the box
Subs:
Asoro (for Gooch 67): Unable to make his mark. 5
McManaman (for Honeyman 79)
Maja (for Vaughan 79)
(not used): Steele (gk), Jones, Love, Embleton.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Mark Duffy – ran the show from the moment the game started until he was given a breather with quarter of an hour remaining; exactly what Sunderland lack.
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