Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's latest win and here are the four key conclusions I drew

Sunderland edged past Derby County on Tuesday night with a vital 1-0 win at Pride Park.

Phil Smith was there reporting for The Echo and these were his four key conclusions from the game...

A NERVY NIGHT BUT A DESERVED WIN (JUST ABOUT)

Sunderland left Pride Park knowing that they had enjoyed a touch of fortune during a challenging second half in particular.

While the Black Cats had been far from their fluid best throughout the opening 45, they had kept a Derby County side reliant on crosses and set pieces well away from the areas in which they could do damage from those avenues. Deploying their usual pressing game was difficult as Derby's direct style and three-man defence made it difficult even for Sunderland's front two to apply consistent pressure on the ball, but the long balls over the top that defined the home side's first-half performance were generally ones the visitors were comfortable with.

Derby County registered just two shots with a combined XG of 0.23 throughout the entire first half, both of which came from set-piece situations. A dip in Sunderland's play and a positive triple substitution from Paul Warne changed the flow of the game, Derby now getting two wingers to the byline where they could force crosses and corners. Eager to try and exploit the space in behind, Sunderland were too often rushed in possession and invited pressure on their box as a result. Derby had eight shots inside Sunderland's box in the second half, and almost all of them were within a 20-minute period when the Black Cats lost control of the game. Dajaune Brown in particular missed a huge chance from a corner, and the hosts were left to rue their poor finishing at the final whistle.

Still, Sunderland would fairly argue that they had a goal controversially ruled out for offside and went close when Wilson Isidor stormed from the edge of his own box to have an effort deflected just wide. They also had by far the best chance of the first half aside from the goal when Dennis Cirkin fired over from close range after Enzo Le Fée's cutback.

Encouraging, too, was the fact that Derby County actually registered just one shot in the final 20 minutes or so of the game. Régis Le Bris brought on Dan Ballard and Patrick Roberts, later followed by Salis Abdul Samed and Leo Hjelde, and the changes worked in slowing Derby's momentum. The visitors were undoubtedly helped by Brown suffering an injury that forced Derby to finish the game with ten, but on the whole it would be fair to say that Sunderland just about deserved their win.

Derby may be in relegation trouble but they'd taken 20 points from their home games before Tuesday night and so this was no gimme even accounting for their defensive injury issues. It was a good win with some concerns but also plenty of positives from a Sunderland perspective. The bottom line is they are still firmly in the top-two race and now thirteen points clear of seventh: an excellent place to be.

PATTERSON CATCHES THE EYE - AND THE STATS UNDERLINE HIS WORTH

Sunderland have generally enjoyed a very strong defensive structure under Le Bris and so Anthony Patterson has not been called upon too often in games. This is one of the rare nights when he had to be at his best to prevent the opposition from scoring and in that period where Derby were on top in the second half, he made three important saves.

There were also some important clearances late on, following on from his excellent save in the early exchanges of the 0-0 draw with Burnley. Patterson has come into good form at the right time, and the stats back up his contribution. According to fbref, Patterson's save percentage is the fourth best in the division this season, and he is seventh for his performance relative to the XG of the opposition. And whole many don't see distribution as his strongest suit, his percentage of long passes successfully completed is the sixth best in the division. Le Bris said Patterson was 'very impressive' after the game and the stats bear that out, particularly when you consider that he remains one of the youngest goalkeepers in the division.

POSITIVE SIGNS FROM SALIS ABDUL SAMED

While it was only a thirteen-minute cameo once added time had been concluded, there were positive signs from Salis Abdul Samed on his second appearance for the club. The midfielder brought some welcome energy when it was needed, getting up the pitch to improve Sunderland's press. This was vital, as it made it harder for Derby to work the ball into the wide areas of the final third, where they had been causing so many problems throughout the course of the second half. Samed picked up good defensive positions and made sensible decisions on the ball to relieve pressure, completing all of his passes successfully. While there weren't many opportunities for him to demonstrate his tackling ability, this felt like a step forward for the 24-year-old and it's most definitely a step forward for Le Bris to have an experienced midfielder to turn to on his bench.

MAYENDA IS FORCING LE BRIS'S HAND

We saw in the second half here why Le Bris generally prefers a three-man midfield, the head coach switching formation to try and get more presence and more options in the middle of the park as Derby grew into the ascendancy. But Mayenda's well-taken goal was another reminded of his talent and though it gives the opposition an opportunity in some areas of the pitch, it's clear just how much concern the youngster and his team mate Wilson Isidor are causing - Paul Warne described their pace as 'scary' afterwards. Le Bris may well have to leave out one of his trusted midfielders on Saturday because Mayenda has probably played his way into another start.