SUNDERLAND came from behind to beat Fleetwood Town 3-1 at the Stadium of Light on a special night for Luke O’Nien.

With less than ten minutes on the clock, the midfielder came off the bench to put the Black Cats in front with a smart finish.

Elliot Embleton equalised and Jack Clarke put the game to bed after Ellis Harrison had opened the scoring for Fleetwood.

Digital Sports Writer Matty Jones was watching the game at the Stadium of Light and scored the players performances…

SUNDERLAND XI

7 Patterson – Made some really important saves after Sunderland had equalised to keep them in the game.

6 Winchester – On a difficult night playing out of position, he did well to keep things tidy at the back in the second half.

5 Wright – A bad mistake from the defender led to Fleetwood’s opener. A night to forget and he gets away with it.

5 Xhemajli – Poor with his distribution from the back and was dragged off at half-time as Sunderland switched things up.

6 Cirkin – Another one who did well to shore things up in the second half, especially as he was playing out of position.

5 Evans – A tough first half for the midfielder. Was pulled off at half-time having contributed little a failed to look after the defence.

7 Matete – Started brightly in the game and got stronger as the game went on. Change in shape allowed him to break things up in the second half.

8 Clarke – Always wanted to make things happen on the left hand side. Provided the assist for the first goal and scored the points clinching third with a great strike.

7 Roberts – Provided plenty of skill and trickery on the right and gave Fleetwood plenty to think about. Needs more game time.

6 Embleton – Provided plenty of energy in midfield. Did well to get on the end of the cross and squirm the ball home for the equaliser.

7 Stewart – Ran the attacking line really well even though he had little support in the first half. He linked up well with others in the second.

Subs:

7 Defoe 45’ – Helped swing the game back in Sunderland’s favour when he came off the bench. Was unlucky not to score in the closing stages.

6 Gooch 45’ – Provided a really good outlet on the right hand side and was part of an important change of shape for Sunderland.

8 O’Nien 70’ – Huge contribution. Came onto the pitch and gave Sunderland added drive going forward and took his goal really well.

Subs not used: Hoffman, Neil, Doyle, Hume

FLEETWOOD XI: Cairns 7; Johnson 5, Jules 5, Nsiala 7, Andrew 7; Morris 6 (Thiam 71’), Baggley 6 (Hayes 52’), Boyle 6, Lane 7, Johnston 6; Harrison 7 (G. Garner 41’)

Subs not used: O’Hara, Donaghy, Butterworth, Bird

Man of the Match: Luke O’Nien – On a night where there wasn’t many stand out performers, the second half substitute came and made a big impact.