How did the players fare in Sunderland’s Carabao Cup first-round defeat to Crewe?
SUNDERLAND (4-2-3-1):
5 Bishop: Didn’t really have a chance with any of Crewe’s penalties as he made his Sunderland debut following his move from Manchester United
5 Johnson: Didn’t make much of an impression in his 45 minutes on the field before being taken off at the interval
5 Batth: Wasn’t unduly troubled at the heart of the Sunderland defence, although the entire Black Cats defence switched off for Crewe’s goal
5 Triantis: His physical presence was apparent as he made his debut, and he had the bottle to step up and convert his penalty
4 Huggins: Didn’t look especially well-suited to the left-back role as he struggled to get forward down the flank
5 Neil: Was the only player to retain his place from the weekend, but made way after a fairly ineffectual 45-minute performance
6 Rigg: Created history as he drove home a second-half strike to become Sunderland’s youngest goalscorer
4 Taylor: Looked out of place playing on the right-hand side, and offered very little before being replaced at the break
4 Ba: Disappointed during his hour on the field, with his lack of incision a factor in Sunderland’s poor attacking display
4 Bennette: Swapped with Pritchard, moving from the left to a more central role, but wasn’t really able to make an impact in either position
7 PRITCHARD: Was Sunderland’s best player over the course of the 90 minutes, coming close with a series of shots
Subs:
6 Dack (for Taylor, 46): Made a real difference as he came on for the second half – his creativity could be crucial to Sunderland this season
5 Ekwah (for Neil, 46): Almost won the game with a shot that cannoned off the post – but then lost it as his penalty was saved
5 Crompton (for Johnson, 46): Wasn’t really tested as Crewe barely got into the Sunderland half in the second period
6 Clarke (for Ba, 60): Another player who made a difference to Sunderland’s attacking as he promoted and probed in the closing stages
5 Bellingham (for Bennette, 69): Never really had a chance to make a telling intervention during his time on the field
(not used): Patterson (gk), O’Nien, Roberts, Spellman.
CREWE (4-2-3-1):
Davies 6; Cooney 6, OFFORD 7, Billington 6 (Adebisi 59, 5), Williams 7; Tabiner 6, O’Riordan 6; Tracey 6 (Long 59, 5), Powell 6 (Lunt 59, 5), Holicek 6 (Demetriou 90); Baker-Richardson 5 (Nevitt 69, 5).
Subs (not used): Booth (gk), Thomas, Griffiths, Woodcock.
Man Of The Match: LUKE OFFORD – Crewe’s goalscorer put in a sterling defensive shift to ensure the game went to penalties.
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