Sunderland’s top-two hopes took a further hit on Saturday when they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Hull City.
Anthony Patterson’s own goal midway through the first half proved the difference and though they missed a couple of big chances in the second half, it was an afternoon where the Black Cats were well short of their best.
Here’s how we rated the Sunderland players...
1. Anthony Patterson
Made one strong stop from Joe Gelhardt in the second half but his own goal in the first was the crucial moment of the game. A costly error and was nearly caught out again not long after. 4 | Sunderland's Anthony Patterson - Photo by Frank Reid
2. Trai Hume
Put in a couple of excellent crosses in the second half that deserved to be converted. Solid enough on the day when Sunderland generally were a long way short of their best. 6 | Frank Reid
3. Dan Ballard
Had a decent first half and was then forced off after picking up an injury making an excellent tackle to deny Kyle Joseph scoring a second goal for Hull. 6 | Sunderland's Dan Ballard - Photo by Frank Reid
4. Luke O'Nien
A sloppy bit of play in the first half with Patterson led to the corner from which Hull scored. Steady enough in his defensive work on a poor day for Sunderland. 5 | Frank Reid