I can't complain too much about anyone making Darren Bent man-of-the-match against Arsenal.
He played on his own up front which is such an important and demanding role in games like that and he also got the only goal of the game.
His ninth in 13 games.
Personally I made Lorik Cana man-of-the-match. I thought he was
absolutely brill
iant.
Not only was he superb in terms of his tackling and his workrate but he was a real driving force for Sunderland and it was a game in which his leadership qualities really came to the fore.
But if I had to pick out one player who caught my eye on Saturday it would have to be Paulo Da Silva in the heart of the Sunderland defence.
I thought John Mensah was excellent alongside him too. Of all of Steve Bruce's signings, Mensah and Da Silva are probably the two we've seen the least of.
But the two of them helped keep a clean sheet against Arsenal – the first time all season the Gunners haven't scored in a league game – and that is impressive.
I thought Da Silva was great, his covering for his team-mates was excellent, but what I liked about him most was how cool and confident he was under pressure.
It wasn't until afterwards that it struck me that the defensive trio we had through our spine were Mensah and Da Silva in central defence and Cana patrolling right in front of them – international captains all of them.
And I think that was a factor of significance because all three in that triangle played with a confidence and self-belief which seemed to be infectious.
