Sunderland were held to a frustrating goalless draw against 10-man Swansea – but who stood out for Tony Mowbray’s side?
Swansea were reduced to ten men in the 30th minute when Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Pierre Ekwah.
Despite the numerical advantage the Black Cats conceded a penalty on the stroke of half-time, yet Anthony Patterson saved Jamal Lowe’s spot kick.
Here’s how Phil Smith rated the Sunderland players at the Swansea.com Stadium:
5. Niall Huggins - 6
Swansea targeted him in the air early on but he coped with it well. Made some good runs forward in another solid outing. Unlucky to be brought off but Mowbray knew that with an extra player he could afford to get another attacker on. No real reflection of Huggins’ display. 6 Photo: Frank Reid
6. Pierre Ekwah - 7
Dominated the midfield in the opening exchanges, twice beating Patino to the ball and drawing the fouls that led to his dismissal. Went close with a couple of long-range efforts in the second half in what was an all-round a pretty solid display. 7 Photo: Frank Reid
7. Dan Neil - 7
Had an excellent first half, constantly breaking into dangerous areas and playing some excellent balls that could have yielded a goal. Looked fatigued through the second half and was eventually replaced. 7 Photo: Frank Reid
8. Patrick Roberts - 6
Hit the post with one good effort and had the beating of his defenders on a regular basis. Just couldn’t quite find the end product. 6 Photo: Frank Reid