Why Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford was handed his Premier League debut at Spurs

Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce decided to make a change between the sticks for Saturday’s clash with title-chasing Spurs after Pickford got the nod ahead of Vito Mannone.

Despite conceding four goals in the 4-1 defeat, Pickford was arguably Sunderland’s man of the match, with the England Under-21 international making several smart saves to deny Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen.

And it wasn’t just Pickford’s shot-stopping which led to the 21-year-old’s inclusion, with Sunderland assistant Paul Bracewell admitting that the quality of the stopper’s distribution saw him oust Mannone.

“Obviously, Jordan came in for the FA Cup last week and did very well at Arsenal,” said Bracewell.

“I thought he did excellently again on Saturday.

“His kicking is excellent.

“We changed the goalkeepers for that and he made some good saves.

“He’ll be disappointed like we all are about conceding four goals going past him.

“He didn’t really deserve that, but that’s the Premier League for you and how easily you get punished.

“He’s been out on loan during his development and has had a fantastic time there.

“We always had a view to bring him back in January.

“We’ll have a good look this week and see how he does.”

Pickford was not alone in impressing in north London, with goalscorer Patrick van Aanholt – who found the net for the third Premier League game on the spin – continuing the turnaround in his fortunes.

Van Aanholt was dropped earlier this season after the left-back made a series of costly blunders.

But since the arrival of Allardyce at the Stadium of Light, van Aanholt has become much more solid defensively, while also offering a threat at the other end of the pitch.

“Earlier on in the season, there was a lot of concern about Patrick defensively,” said Bracewell.

“But he’s tightened that up and done really well.

“He’s been a real threat going forwards.

“It was a good ball by Jonno (Adam Johnson) for his goal and a good finish.

“But we need to make sure we keep it tight at the back and not concede goals like that.”

Sunderland’s failure to build on van Aanholt’s opener saw their two-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt, as the Black Cats fell three points adrift of the safety mark.

It makes this Saturday’s visit of fellow strugglers Bournemouth all the more important for Sunderland, with the Cherries now six points ahead of Allardyce’s men. “The most important thing now is to recover and get our minds right for a big game on Saturday,” added Bracewell.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re right and make sure we’re prepared for Bournemouth.

“It’s what we do against Bournemouth, that’s the most important thing.”