How did the players fare in Sunderland's 1-1 draw with Portsmouth?
SUNDERLAND (4-2-3-1):
6 McLaughlin: Made a good first-half save from Close, but wasn’t really tested as Portsmouth struggled to create chances after the break
6 O’Nien: Produced a solid enough display, but wasn’t able to make it to the final whistle as he hobbled off in the closing stages
7 Ozturk: Continues to justify his surprise return to the first team – outmuscled Vaughan in the 18-yard box
7 Flanagan: Scored with a powerful header and defended impressively, but was lucky to avoid censure after losing his head after the final whistle
5 Oviedo: Had a difficult afternoon against the dangerous Lowe and wasn’t able to get forward as he would have liked
6 Cattermole: Not one of his most influential displays, but still won his fair share of tackles at the heart of midfield
8 Power: Drove Sunderland forward from the central positions and almost scored with a second-half shot that was tipped over
6 Morgan: Struck with the post with a fantastic overhead effort in the first half, but only flickered sporadically after the break
6 Honeyman: Contributed to Sunderland’s good start with some strong early running, but was taken off on the hour mark
8 McGEADY: His trickery troubled the Portsmouth defence all afternoon, and he almost teed up Grigg for a late winner
6 Wyke: Gave everything for the cause, but allowed his second-half performance to degenerate into something of a wrestling match
Subs:
7 Maguire (for Honeyman, 60): Provided an attacking spark in the final half-hour and tested MacGillivray on a couple of occasions
6 Grigg (for Morgan, 69): Came within an inch or two of a winner it as his late flicked volley rebounded off the post
Matthews (for O’Nien, 90)
(not used): Ruiter (gk), Dunne, Leadbitter, Gooch.
PORTSMOUTH (4-2-3-1):
MACGILLIVRAY 9; Thompson 6, Burgess 7, Clarke 6, Brown 6; Naylor 6, Close 7; Lowe 8, Pitman 7, Curtis 6 (Evans 66, 5); Vaughan 4 (Hawkins 57, 5).
Subs (not used): Bass (gk), Haunstrup, Walkes, Morris, Solomon-Otabor.
Man Of The Match: CRAIG MACGILLIVRAY – The Portsmouth goalkeeper made a string of superb saves, with his best effort coming as he touched Lewis Morgan’s overhead kick on to the post in the early stages.
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