Sunderland boss Lee Johnson.Sunderland boss Lee Johnson.
Sunderland boss Lee Johnson.

'Invited pressure' 'Caught out': Phil Smith's player ratings as Sunderland lose at Portsmouth in terrible conditions

Sunderland’s eight-game unbeaten run came to an abrupt end as they were beaten 4-0 in terrible conditions at Portsmouth – but how did each player fare for the Black Cats?

Lee Johnson made three changes to his starting XI following the team’s 5-0 win over Cheltenham last time out, with Elliot Embleton, Dennis Cirkin and Leon Dajaku coming in.

Aiden McGeady and Nathan Broadhead missed the game through injury, while Lynden Gooch remained absent with a foot issue.

As the rain poured down and made for a challenging afternoon at Fratton Park, Pompey adapted to the conditions much better.

First-half goals from Marcus Harness, Lee Brown and John Marquis gave the hosts a commanding lead, before Marquis added a fourth in the second half.

Sunderland now have two weeks until their next league game due to international fixtures.

Our chief Sunderland writer Phil Smith has delivered his verdict on how each player performed at Portsmouth:

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