How did the players fare in Sunderland's 1-0 win over Portsmouth?
SUNDERLAND (3-4-2-1):
6 Hoffmann: Made a couple of routine saves, but was never seriously tested despite Portsmouth seeing plenty of the ball
7 Flanagan: Put his body on the line to make blocks when they were needed and kept Walker under tight control all game
8 BATTH: Will have enjoyed his Sunderland debut – and deservedly so. Was dominant in the air and effective when tackling on the ground
7 Doyle: Proved he can handle the rough and tumble side of the game when needed, and passed with his usual polish
6 Gooch: Spent most of his afternoon defending, and proved he can slot in and sit back when Sunderland are under the cosh
7 Evans: Started slowly, but improved markedly in the second half when his reading of the game helped Sunderland gain the upper hand
6 Neil: A steady game at the heart of midfield – not everything came off, but he kept on trying to thread balls through
6 Cirkin: Wasn’t able to get forward as he would have liked, but helped cut off Pompey’s supply from the flanks
7 Embleton: Made the difference as he kept his head to slot Sunderland’s winner into the bottom corner towards the end of the first half
6 Dajaku: His pressing play helped forced errors from the Portsmouth defence and he covered a lot of ground pulling out wide
6 Stewart: Wasn’t a day when he had a lot of chances, but his tireless running meant Pompey’s defenders could never settle
Subs:
Winchester (for Embleton, 82)
O’Brien (for Dajaku, 88)
(not used): Patterson (gk), Xhemajli, T Hume, Diamond, Kimpioka.
PORTSMOUTH (4-2-3-1):
Bazuna 5; ROMEO 6, Carter 5, Raggett 5, Robertson 4 (Jacobs 78); Morrell 4, Thompson 4 (Williams 70, 5); Hackett 4, Harness 5, Curtis 5 (Hirst 70, 4); Walker 5.
Subs (not used): Steward (gk), Brown, Freeman, Ogilvie.
Man Of The Match: DANNY BATTH – He only signed on Tuesday, but Sunderland’s new centre-half slotted seamlessly into his new surrounds.
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