Phil Smith's Sunderland AFC player ratings: Who shone and struggled in Oldham Athletic win?
By Phil Smith
Published 8th Dec 2020, 20:37 BST
Lee Johnson picked-up his first win as Sunderland head coach at Oldham Athletic – but how did the players perform in the triumph?
Having fallen behind to Bobby Grant’s early strike, the Black Cats rallied and claimed a 2-1 triumph courtesy of goals from Chris Maguire and Josh Scowen.
It was a win that secured Sunderland’s progression in the Papa John’s Trophy – but who caught the eye at Boundary Park?
Scroll down and click through the pages as Phil Smith dishes out his merit marks:
Scroll down and click through the pages as Phil Smith dishes out his merit marks:
9. Jack Diamond
Took a while to get into the contest but was consistently his team’s most dangerous player. Got into some very good attacking areas and put some terrific crosses into the box, including for the equaliser. 7 Photo: FRANK REID 2020
Looked short of confidence in the opening exchanges, with too many passes played into touch. Improved and took his goal well, having been denied by a stunning stop shortly before that. Worked hard and tracked back well. 6 Photo: FRANK REID 2019
Was unable to make the most of his one real opportunity in front of goal, but impressed with his build-up play and work ethic throughout. Sunderland’s second typified that, his excellent pressing winning the free kick from which Scowen scored. 7 Photo: Frank Reid
Made one crunching tackle to buy his team space and time late on. Little chance to contribute in the final third as Sunderland defended their lead with relative ease. 6 Photo: FRANK REID 2019