Sunderland’s under-21 side were back in Premier League 2 action on Monday evening as they faced Leeds United under the lights, with several familiar first-team names included in the starting XI.
Head coach Graeme Murty handed minutes to senior squad players, including Milan Aleksic, Abdoullah Ba and Ahmed Abdullahi, as the Black Cats looked to continue their development pathway while maintaining competitiveness at under-21 level.
For Aleksic and Ba in particular, the fixture offered valuable game time, while Abdullahi led the line after returning from injury as Sunderland looked to test themselves against strong opposition from West Yorkshire. Sunderland won the contest 5-2 in a game in which they dominated for large periods.
Here’s how each Sunderland player performed against Leeds United U21s in the Premier League 2 at Eppletwo CW:
13. Jake Waters
Hebburn loanee Jake Waters came on with 62 minutes played for Harrison Jones. Worked hard and scored Sunderland's fifth goal of the evening from the left-hand side of Murty's attack. 7 | Tyler Lopes
14. Charlie Dinsdale
Charlie Dinsdale came on with a little under half an hour to play at Eppleton. Held his position well. 6 | Sunderland AFC
15. Liam Hunt
Liam Hunt came on with a little under half an hour to play at Eppleton and ran hard but didn't have enough time to properly impact proceedings. 6 | Sunderland AFC