During the game with Oxford United on Saturday, Patterson made a crucial save to deny Ciaron Brown, a stop that Alex Neil described as a ‘key moment’.
"The second one is an excellent save,” Neil said. "That was a key moment, and he made the difference for us.”
Patterson didn’t start the season as Sunderland’s No.1. and was due to return to Notts County on loan but was kept on Wearside.
Keeping Patterson at the club has benefitted the Black Cats as he now finds himself above Bayern Munich loanee Ron-Thorben Hoffmann in the pecking order.
Here, from lowest to highest, we rank the 13 goalkeepers that have the highest clean sheet percentage this season and where Patterson and Hoffmann’s stats ranks alongside the division’s best shot stoppers this season:
(Note: only players that have played more than 10 times in the league this season are eligible)
Patterson didn’t start the season as Sunderland’s No.1. and was due to return to Notts County on loan but was kept on Wearside.