Sunderland were dumped out of the FA Cup by Port Vale on Sunday afternoon.
Injuries and suspensions left Le Bris with a threadbare squad to manage, though he stuck to his word in selecting the strongest XI possible. Sunderland delivered a poor display and were deservedly knocked out after Ben Waine’s first-half goal. Here’s how we rated all the Black Cats involved on the day..
9. RW - Nilson Angulo
Some good runs in the first half and had one header well saved late on, but really struggled in the latter stages, giving away some cheap fouls and not able to create much from decent positions. 4 | Chris Fryatt
10. LW - Chemsdine Talbi
Couldn’t really get into the contest in the first half. Port Vale defended the wide areas very well and though Sunderland were better after the break, Talbi couldn’t really get his delivery right and lacked intensity on the day. 4 | Matt McNulty/Getty Images
11. ST - Eliezer Mayenda
Unlucky to see a header strike the post in the very early stages of the game, but was quiet for the rest of the first half. Intensity was better in the second but didn’t see much of the goal. 5 | Getty Images
12. Sub - Wilson Isidor
Had very little impact on the game after going up front alongside Mayenda for much of the second half. 4 Photo: BEN STANSALL