Rotherham United 1-1 Sunderland: Deflected equaliser rescues poor performance and a fresh injury blow

Jack Clarke's deflected strike rescued a point for Sunderland at Rotherham United on a night where they laboured to create regular chances.

Sam Clucas' brilliant volley had given the hosts a deserved lead shortly after the interval and though Sunderland were able to take something back to the north east with them, they will be disappointed with the performance level they produced.

Here's the story of the game and its key talking points from a Sunderland perspective...

MAJOR INJURY BLOW AHEAD OF THE DERBY

It was just about the worst way for the night to start, both in terms of the game itself and the ones looming on the horizon. Patrick Roberts aimed an innocuous clearance up the field and immediately went to ground with no opposition player around him. After a brief word, Pierre Ekwah signalled over to the bench for a substitution and Roberts' night was done.

He is now a major doubt for the visits of Preston North End and Newcastle United, where his dribbling ability on the break was always going to be a key asset.

ALL THE BALL - NO CUTTING EDGE

The first shot of a drab game came on the seventeen minute mark, Dan Neil driving wide from long range. Sunderland were having all of the ball but doing little with it. Beale had brought Adil Aouchiche in to lead the line but almost all of the possession was across the back four.

Sunderland should actually have fallen behind, Sam Nombe played through on goal after Luke O'Nien was sold short and knocked his attempted clearance straight off the striker. Patterson did well to hold his nerve, staying big and making the block when Nombe hesitated too long and didn't have the angle to fire past him. His save from the following corner was even better, clawing Nombe's effort away from the bottom corner even though it come through a crowd bodies and he only saw it late. Trai Hume then had to hack one off the line as the hosts turned the screw.

The game settled somewhat from there, but it was the hosts who again had the best chance when another set play ended when Odoffin header over the bar from a good position. The first half had been a tough watch from a Sunderland perspective: 65% had yielded just two shots and neither were on target.

BEALE CHANGES IT UP - BUT SUNDERLAND FALL BEHIND

Beale had seen enough from a toothless first half and made another change at the break, bringing on Mason Burstow for Aouchiche. Within a matter of minutes, Rotherham were ahead. It was a brilliant strike from Sam Clucas, a first time volley from the edge of the area that left Patterson with absolutely no chance.

Though there wasn't a great deal Sunderland could have done about this particular effort, it was impossible to argue that the scoreline didn't reflect the balance of chances in the game. Sunderland's intensity did lift in response to the goal but the chances were sparse, and the persistent calls from the away end for Alex Pritchard to be introduced told a story.

SUNDERLAND GET LUCKY

At times through the game it felt as if a moment of Jack Clarke magic was the only way Sunderland were going to get on the scoresheet, and it proved that way at least to an extent. Pritchard stood up a cross to the middle of the box and it was cleared only as far as Clarke, whose effort took a wicked deflection and looped over the goalkeeper.

It was a moment of real fortune for Sunderland but at last, they began to start building possession in the final third and as such, put the Rotherham defence under real pressure. In the end it proved too little, too late as Rotherham were able to hold out and take the point that they deserved.

Beale had called on his side to start showing greater consistency after their excellent win over Hull City but the lethargy with which they played for the first hour suggested that message had not been heeded. The continued struggles in the final third will continue to dominate the headlines, particularly given this was another game in which they started without a striker.

Sunderland XI: Patterson; Seelt (Pembele, 63), Ballard, O'Nien, Hume; Neil, Ekwah (Pritchard, 63); Roberts (Ba, 14), Aouchiche (Burstow, 45), Clarke, Jobe

Subs: Bishop, Rusyn, Bennette, Triantis, Alese

Rotherham United XI: Johansson; Lembikisa (Appiah, 77) , Odoffin, Morrison, Revan, Bramall; Lindsay, Tiehi, Clucas (Cafu, 67); Hugill (Eaves, 77) , Nombe (Kelly, 77)

Subs: Phillips, McGuckin

Bookings: Jobe, 39 Nombe, 64 Neil, 90

Attendance: 11,323