How did the players fare as Sunderland made it to the League One play-off final?
SHEFF WED (3-4-1-2):
Peacock-Farrell 6; Storey 6, Dean 7, Hutchinson 7 (Palmer 70, 5); Hunt 6 (Mendez-Laing 70, 5), Byers 6 (Berahino 90), Luongo 6, Johnson 8; BANNAN 8; Windass 5 (Paterson 78), Gregory 6.
Subs (not used): Wildsmith (gk), Kamberi, Dunkley.
SUNDERLAND (4-2-3-1):
7 Patterson: Made a number of crucial catches and dealt with a series of back-passes that placed him under pressure
7 Gooch: Was asked to play a defensive role in the last two matches, and responded well again despite the efforts of Johnson
8 Wright: Made two crucial early blocks that set the tone for Sunderland’s performance – a key player in both legs
8 Batth: Has made a massive difference in the last month or so and delivered again, dominating the Wednesday attackers in the air
7 Cirkin: Shut off the supply line from the Sheffield Wednesday right, although his attacking forays were limited
8 Evans: A key performer as he mopped up everything in front of Sunderland’s back four – no wonder Neil values him so highly
6 O’Nien: Wasn’t a night for surging forward runs, so stuck to his task defensively and covered a lot of ground
7 Roberts: Kept on trying to get into the area, and his persistence was rewarded as he popped up to score Sunderland’s equaliser
6 Pritchard: Tried to pull the strings from the heart of midfield, and while his influence might have been fairly limited, he kept on plugging away
8 CLARKE: Spearheaded Sunderland’s attacking improvement in the second half and produced the run and cross that led to the goal
7 Stewart: Didn’t have a lot of opportunities, but pulled the Sheffield Wednesday defence here, there and everywhere, and held on to the ball well
Subs:
Broadhead (for Roberts, 90)
Matete (for Pritchard, 90)
Doyle (for Clarke, 90)
(not used): Hoffmann (gk), Hume, Neil, Embleton.
Man Of The Match: JACK CLARKE – The Sunderland winger had the bravery to get on the ball and try to make something happen. His stoppage-time cross proved decisive.
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