Carl Winchester.Carl Winchester.
Carl Winchester.

'Tremendous performance': Phil Smith's player ratings as Sunderland thrash Cheltenham to go top of League One

Sunderland thrashed Cheltenham 5-0 at the Stadium of Light – and there were lots of excellent performances for Lee Johnson’s side.

Ross Stewart scored twice for the Black Cats after Bailey Wright’s headed opener to put the hosts in full control at the half-time interval.

Second-half goals from Luke O’Nien and substitute Leon Dajaku, his first for the club, then put even more gloss on the scoreline.

New signings Nathan Broadhead and Niall Huggins also impressed on their first starts for the club, as Johnson made five changes following Saturday’s 1-0 win over Bolton.

The result saw Sunderland move to the top of the League One table after nine games, as Wigan failed to beat Sheffield Wednesday at the DW Stadium.

Johnson will now hope his side can maintain momentum when they travel to Portsmouth on Saturday.

Our chief Sunderland writer Phil Smith has delivered his verdict on how each player performed against Cheltenham:

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