How Sunderland fans reacted to Alex Pritchard's substitution plus Leon Dajaku's key instructions: Moments you may have missed at Doncaster

The Black Cats were in control from the sixth minute when Ross Stewart converted an early penalty, while Elliot Embleton added a second before an own goal from Rovers defender Ben Blyte.

It means Sunderland have taken 46 points from 23 league games, an average which should see them promoted if they can replicate those numbers in the second half of the campaign.

The visitors were backed by another large away crowd as 4,072 visiting supporters made up the overall attendance of 10,751.

Those travelling Wearsiders had plenty to cheer about and gave the side a standing ovation at the full-time whistle.

Here are some of the moments you may have missed during a successful afternoon for the Black Cats:

Alex Pritchard chants

After joining the club from Huddersfield in the summer, Alex Pritchard endured a challenging start to his Sunderland career.

The playmaker tested positive for Covid-19 shortly after his arrival and was playing catch up after missing most of pre-season.

Now, though, it feels like we are seeing the best of the 28-year-old, who added another two assists to his name at the Eco-Power Stadium.

Earlier in the season Pritchard struggled to hide his disappointment when Sunderland were in the middle of a difficult spell, yet he appears to be enjoying his football again. The attacker’s passionate celebration after assisting Embleton’s goal was evidence of that.

When Pritchard was substituted in the 74th minute, the Sunderland supporters responded with chants of ‘D, D, D, D, D, Alex Pritchard.’ He is quickly becoming a fans’ favourite.

Leon Dajaku’s instructions

When the teams were announced it looked like Sunderland would once again be playing with a back three and wing-backs, similar to Doncaster’s setup.

Yet when the game kicked off, Leon Dajaku’s position was key as the visitors pinned Rovers back and took an early lead.

Sunderland coach Jamie McAllister was telling the winger to push high up the pitch to pin back Doncaster wing-back Branden Horton.

It soon became clear the visitors were playing with a back four as Bailey Wright took up the right-back role behind Dajaku.

Doncaster were unable to cope with Sunderland’s shape, speed and intensity, so tried to match their opponents up by reverting to a 4-2-3-1 system.

The switch did little to change the flow of the match, though.

Denver Hume’s nearly moment

Sunderland almost wrapped up an excellent afternoon with a goal for academy graduate Denver Hume, yet the linesman’s flag denied the visitors a fourth goal.

Hume replaced Pritchard with 16 minutes remaining but was fractionally offside when he converted Leon Dajaku’s low cross in front of the away fans.

This was Hume’s third appearance since returning from an ankle injury, while captain Corry Evans made his first start for over a month following a groin issue.

Dennis Cirkin also featured for the first time since undergoing a double hernia operation as the full-back came off the bench to replace Evans in the 58th minute.

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