BIRMINGHAM (4-3-3):
Stockdale 6; Colin 6, Roberts 6, Dean 7, Grounds 7; Davis 8 (Adams 81), Kieftenbeld 6, Ndoye 6; Maghoma 8 (Jota 61, 6), Gallagher 8, BOGA 8.
Subs (not used): Trueman (gk), Morrison, Lowe, Gardner, Jutkiewicz.
SUNDERLAND (3-5-2):
3 Ruiter: At fault as he allowed Davis’ shot to pass beneath him, and continues to produce at least one major mistake every game
4 Browning: Couldn’t get to grips with Birmingham’s attackers and was repeatedly pulled out of position
3 Kone: Looked desperate as he made his first appearance since October and spent a large amount of the night hobbling in apparent discomfort
3 Clarke-Salter: Was caught under the ball as Davis broke in the build-up to Birmingham’s opener and was shaky throughout
5 Matthews: Tried to hold things together down the right-hand side and delivered a decent cross for Sunderland’s goal
4 Robson: Battled away at the heart of midfield but allowed Birmingham’s players to run off him on a number of occasions
5 Cattermole: His battle is still there, but the legs aren’t moving as freely these days – came close with a decent late effort
4 Honeyman: Not one of the youngster’s better games as passes went astray and he struggled to make an attacking impression
6 OVIEDO: Continued to try to push forward down the left-hand side and scored with an excellent volleyed strike
4 Maja: Produced a couple of nice flicks in the first half, but his lack of physicality was a major weakness against a strong defence
4 Asoro: Looked out of his depth on occasion, and clearly needs some more experienced support in attack
Subs:
5 LuaLua (for Maja, 60): Provided some energy in the closing stages, and must have a good chance of starting against Ipswich
5 McGeady (for Clarke-Salter, 65): Forced Stockdale into a save with a late free-kick, but the game was gone by the time he came on
Gooch (for Asoro, 84)
(not used): Steele (gk), Galloway, Love, Williams.
Man Of The Match: JEREMIE BOGA – The Chelsea loanee ran Sunderland ragged in the opening hour and produced an excellent header to double his side’s lead.
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