Sunderland beat Stoke City 3-1 in the Championship this afternoon.
Sunderland welcomed Stoke City to the Stadium of Light for what promised to be a fiery encounter in the Championship, after a week of unrest among fans.
The Black Cats faithful lost almost all faith in boss Michael Beale after a turgid performance in the 1-0 defeat vs Hull City last weekend.
And Beale then riled up fans with some bizarre comments in the pre-match press conference ahead of today’s game.
But Sunderland dominated the game for large parts, finding themselves in front at half time thanks to a scrappy first goal of the season for Mason Burstow, then adding to their lead after the break through goals from Abdoullah Ba and Pierre Ekwah.
Here’s three things we learned about Sunderland after their win over Stoke City
No Pritchard, no problem
Sunderland fans were dealt a shock before today’s game, after the club announced that Alex Pritchard had made himself unavailable for selection, and that he wanted to leave the club as soon as possible.
It comes amid a contract row between the club and the 30-year-old and after a positive run of form for the attacking midfielder.
But despite his absence form the side today, Sunderland actually looked pretty dangerous at times, with Ba impressing along with Jack Clarke.
Ba showcased his class throughout; he too is on quite a positive run of form right now and with Pritchard now looking set to leave, Ba has the chance to really step up for Sunderland.
Jenson Seelt potential
Summer signing Jenson Seelt started at right-back once again today, and once again he showed signs of a really talented player in the making despite being unfortunately placed for the own goal.
Whilst the 20-year-old is still raw and in need of development, he was up and down the right flank today; showcasing his qualities as a more attacking-minded full-back and contributing to multiple attacking players.
It should prove useful in a Sunderland side that want to play on the front foot under Beale and the under-fire Black Cats boss might look to players like Seelt to really help implement his methods.
Sunderland defensive work still cut out
Whilst there were many positives to take from today’s game, Sunderland still looked rather leggy at the back.
Stoke City could have had two or three goals of their own today, but for the Potters missing from close range or being thwarted by Anthony Patterson or a diving block from Luke O’Nien.
So for Beale, despite his side’s positive attacking performance, there’s still plenty of work to do defensively, with a lack of organisation and communication looking the main downfall in the Sunderland back-line right now.