HOW did the players fare in Sunderland's 2-0 win at Shrewsbury?
SHREWSBURY (4-3-3):
Coleman 6; Emmanuel 6, Sadler 6, Waterfall 7, Beckles 5; Doherty 5, Grant 6, Laurent 6 (Amadi-Holloway 69, 4); WHALLEY 7 (Norburn 76), Angol 6, Gilliead 5 (Haynes 69, 5).
Subs (not used): Arnold (gk), Okenabirhie, Bolton, Barnett.
SUNDERLAND (4-2-3-1):
7 McLaughlin: Didn’t have an awful lot to do despite Shrewsbury’s first-half pressure, but claimed a number of dangerous crosses
6 Matthews: Defended solidly throughout, although he would probably have liked to have more attacking opportunities
8 FLANAGAN: A rock-solid presence at the heart of the back four, winning headers, making tackles and reading the game extremely well
7 Baldwin: Refused to go under when Shrewsbury were dominating in the first half and made a number of crucial challenges
7 James: Has impressed since getting his first-team opportunity – strong in the tackle and calm and composed in possession
7 Cattermole: Kept his composure after an early booking for a wild late challenge and spread the play with some excellent long balls
5 McGeouch: Held on to the ball reasonably well, but tended to take the easy option when passing rather than trying to be more expansive
7 Maguire: His tireless running repeatedly stretched the Shrews defence and he finished the game effectively as a central striker
4 Maja: Didn’t look comfortable in a withdrawn attacking role, with his lack of physical presence proving a major handicap
6 McGeady: Offered a sporadic threat from the left-hand side, although the Shrews defence dealt with his reasonably effectively
6 Sinclair: Battled away gamely despite limited service, but never really looked like scoring despite being the lead striker
Subs:
8 Gooch (for Maja, 54): Changed the game after he came off the bench, claiming an assist for both of Sunderland’s goals
7 Honeyman (for McGeady, 57): His energy and drive helped Sunderland turn the course of the game in the final 35 minutes
O’Nien (for Sinclair, 82)
(not used): Ruiter (gk), Ozturk, Mumba, Kimpioka.
Man Of The Match: TOM FLANAGAN – The defender has had to wait for an opportunity at centre-half, but has done more than enough to merit keeping his place ahead of Glenn Loovens.
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