In Michael Beale’s first game in charge of Sunderland, Dan Neil once again showed his class in spite of the 3-0 defeat to Coventry City at the Stadium of Light.
It was far from the ideal start for Michael Beale at Sunderland as his side fell to a 3-0 defeat against Coventry City.
It must be said that the Black Cats did have their chances as they had more possession and shots than the away side.
With that being said, City took the lead minutes before halftime. A lucky break for Tatsuhiro Sakamoto as the ball bounced off him and into the net.
It was two on 67 minutes as Callum O’Hare smashed past Anthony Patterson. Three minutes later it was three as Kasey Palmer latched onto a ball dropped by the Sunderland goalkeeper.
It is safe to say, it wasn’t the best day at the office for many in red and white. There was one man who stood out once again…
How good was Dan Neil vs Coventry?
At the heart of the Sunderland midfield, Dan Neil shone despite a poor performance from many of his teammates. According to SofaScore, he was worthy of a 7.4 rating which was the joint best for the home side.
With 95 touches on the ball, he had the most on the pitch and kept the Black Cats ticking throughout the game. He used these touches wisely as he had a pass accuracy of 96%, completing 71 of 74 passes throughout.
In a defensive sense, he was also on top of his game. With 69% of duels won, eight ground and one aerial he was covering all bases. This was added to by one clearance, three interceptions and five tackles. It is safe to say he was defensively solid.
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone associated with Sunderland. Neil has picked up under Beale where he left off under Tony Mowbray.
What has been said?
Speaking after the game, despite not having much to be happy about, fans could be pleased with Neil’s performance. Reporter Paul Smith made his feelings about the Sunderland number 24 clear.
In a post to his Twitter, he said: “Thought Dan Neil terrific, again, today.”
In spite of the poor result, the performance potentially warranted more than was taken away in the end. The Sky Blues took their chances and Sunderland didn’t. With that being said, Neil still showed his class amidst a poor result.