How did the players fare in Sunderland's 1-0 win over Stoke City?


STOKE (3-5-2):

Bursik 5; Taylor 5, Jagielka 4, Wilmot 5; Fosu-Henry 5, Smallbone 5 (Clucas 68, 4), BAKER 6, Kilkenny 5 (Campbell 68, 4), Thompson 4; Delap 5 (Wright-Phillips 75), Brown 6 (Gayle 60, 5).

Subs (not used): Bonham (gk), Fox, Flint.


SUNDERLAND (3-5-2):

8 Patterson: Made three excellent first-half saves, the pick of which saw him tip Brown’s shot over the top

5 O’Nien: Was pulled all over the place in the first half, and while he made some important clearances, he was taken off at the break

7 Batth: Had a difficult time in the opening 20 minutes, but recovered his composure and was impressive in the second half

8 CIRKIN: A hugely impressive defensive showing in which he won his personal battles and stepped out with the ball well

8 Gooch: Another fine display from the wing-back, who has had an excellent start to the season – dealt with Stoke’s threat well

6 Embleton: Didn’t have a lot of time on the ball, but covered a lot of ground and helped shut Stoke down in the second half

6 Matete: Did a decent job of filling in at the base of midfield, but was booked and made way at the half-time interval

6 Pritchard: It wasn’t a day when he had lots of opportunities, but his slick passing kept Stoke pinned back

7 Clarke: Always looked to get on the front foot and produced a brilliant through ball to send Stewart clear for his goal

7 Simms: Was a real handful for the Stoke defence and came close with a couple of decent efforts in the second half

8 Stewart: Led the line brilliantly and claimed his third goal of the season with a fine run and angled finish


Subs:

7 Evans (for Matete, 46): Helped Sunderland assume complete control in the second half, despite Stoke flooding the field with forwards

6 Wright (for O’Nien, 46): Picked up an early booking, but settled down to put in an important defensive shift

Hume (for Pritchard, 87)

(not used): Bass (gk), Alese, Roberts, Diamond.


Man Of The Match: DENNIS CIRKIN – The Sunderland defender looks ideally suited to a back three, and was a major influence both in and out of possession.