This is how Arbenit Xhemajli's comeback is going - and the next steps for Sunderland defender explained

Sunderland had been a touch unfortunate, a loose ball breaking kindly for the visitors.

From there it was a ruthless move, the impressive Joe White releasing Adam Wilson with a fine through ball. The winger did the rest, firing emphatically past Jacob Carney.

For Elliott Dickman the disappointment was in the aggression (or lack thereof) in his team's defending, for both that strike and White's deflected effort, which turned a 1-0 deficit into an ultimately unassailable lead for the visitors.

Dickman is managing a young side playing an improved brand of football but shipping just a few too many goals.

The long-term signs, it should be said, are promising.

That goal, though, all stemmed from what was in itself a heartening moment.

That loose ball came after Arbenit Xhemajli crashed into a 50-50 challenge (and won it), showing total trust in his knee after a year on the sidelines.

This was the second game of Xhemajli's comeback and he once again came through unscathed, with Dickman outlining the next steps for the Kosovan after the game.

"Definitely [came through successfully]," he said.

"He's in that staged return, with last week, 70 minutes tonight, and then he might be able to build up to 90.

"I think Friday [v Aston Villa U23s] might come a little bit too soon but maybe in our next game he might be able to, with a bit more training in his legs.

"He's been great with the lads, a top professional.”

Even as he builds towards full fitness, Xhemajli is showing the attributes which will make him another welcome option for Lee Johnson.

Though Newcastle offered little in the first half, that owed much to Xhemajli's anticipation. On a number of occasions he stepped in to cut out the early ball to the striker, keeping his side high up the pitch and in control.

In the rare moments his side looked a little exposed, he showed good composure and decent pace to protect his side in the channel, helping to draw a foul in one particularly dangerous moment where he spun away from his marker and found Tyrese Dyce ahead of him.

In possession his output was mixed, but that spoke to his intent.

In a game where both sides were often a little tentative in possession, Xhemajli was always looking to play forward and often demanded more movement of his team-mates in front of him.

It is clear that the 23-year-old will be comfortable in Johnson's philosophy, and is a fairly natural option to offer competition to Callum Doyle in that ball-playing role on the left of defence.

That is some way off yet, with Johnson clear that it will be the turn of the year at the very earliest that the centre-back's return can be assessed more definitively.

An ultimately disappointing night for the team as a whole showed there is still lots to do, for player and side.

But to see the Kosovan moving well and confidently bodes well for the next steps.

An impressive stature at set pieces also yielded an assist, meeting Ellis Taylor’s first-half corner and turning the ball into Dyce’s path. Always a useful weapon, at any level.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Sunderland AFC coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor