Thorben Hoffmann's outstanding moment, Simon Grayson's tactical switch and a new face in the Sunderland dugout: What you might have missed at Fleetwood

A Ross Stewart header and Aiden McGeady penalty put Lee Johnson’s side 2-0 up, before Callum Morton halved the deficit nine minutes from time.

Fleetwood were then awarded a penalty in stoppage-time, which Gerard Garner converted, after Bailey Wright was penalised for a shirt pull.

From tactical changes to new faces in the dugout – here are some of the moments you might have missed.

Hoffmann show his strengths

Following a mixed debut against Accrington Stanley last weekend, Sunderland goalkeeper Thorben Hoffmann certainly impressed here.

The 22-year-old stopper appeared a little vulnerable from crosses last time out and looked like he could be tested again at Highbury, with Fleetwood looking to utilise James Hill’s long throw-ins.

Yet Sunderland managed to deal with the threat, as Hoffmann came off his line to punch away an early throw in the third minute.

The keeper’s most impressive moment came later in the first half when Callum Morton spun in behind the visitors’ defence but Hoffmann read the striker’s effort to make a low save.

As the ball broke free inside the box, Hoffmann sprung to his feet and quickly made a tackle on Harrison Biggins before the Fleetwood midfielder could reach the ball. That was all while the game was still goalless.

And when Sunderland were under some late pressure, Hoffmann made another outstanding save to keep out Morton’s header in stoppage-time.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to give Lee Johnson’s side all three points as they conceded a late penalty.

Fleetwood’s tactical switch

After claiming an impressive 4-2 win against Rotherham last time out, Fleetwood boss Simon Grayson stuck with the 3-5-2 formation he deployed at the New York Stadium.

But while the hosts did pose a threat with runs in behind Sunderland’s defence in the opening 45 minutes, the Black Cats were able to control large periods of the match.

That changed in the second half as Fleetwood boss Simon Grayson withdrew wing-back Max Clark and brought on striker Joe Garner.

The substitution meant the hosts switched to a 4-3-3 system, with Joe Garner playing through the middle, Morton on the left and Gerard Garner on the right.

It was an alteration which allowed Fleetwood to press higher up the pitch and prevent Sunderland playing out from the back, while Morton and Gerard Garner still caused problems with their runs in behind.

While Johnson’s tactic to bring on an extra defender has helped the Black Cats see out matches in recent weeks – here he introduced Frederik Alves for Aiden McGeady in stoppage-time – his side only invited pressure at Highbury.

And while some may feel the penalty was soft, Sunderland shouldn’t have put themselves in that position.

Jevons joins the coaching staff

Earlier this week, Sunderland announced the appointment of Phil Jevons as the club’s new first-team coach.

Jevons arrived from Everton, where he worked with the under-18 side, and was present at Highbury.

The 42-year-old could be seen leading parts of the warm-up before taking his place in the dugout alongside Jamie McAllister and goalkeeping coach David Preece, while Johnson spent most of the match patrolling his technical area.

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