Sunderland claimed another impressive win in the Championship on Saturday.
Sunderland went into their game away at Portsmouth rejuvenate by their deadline day haul, with Kristjaan Speakman welcoming four new players to the Stadium of Light.
It comes after a strong start to life under Regis Le Bris who’d won all of his Championship games as Sunderland before going into the game at Fratton Park, and all without conceding a single goal.
And although Sunderland lost their perfect defensive record in the game vs Portsmouth, courtesy of an unfortunate Luke O’Nien own goal, Le Bris’ side maintained their perfect record.
Sunderland won the game 3-1 thanks to an own goal, then goals from Eliezer Mayenda and Romaine Mundle.
There were standout performances across the pitch for Sunderland. But one man stood out in particular.
Chris Rigg shines for Sunderland during 3-1 in vs Portsmouth
Once again, youngster Chris Rigg showed his class both in and out of possession with another complete performance.
The 17-year-old made 21 accurate passes and won four out of 14 duels, with 10 of those being ground duels (Rigg attempted the second-most duels of any player on the pitch).
Rigg also chipped in with a clearance and a tackle, and one successful dribble, as he continues to establish himself not only in the Sunderland first-team, but in the starting XI.
The one thing that’s most impressive about Chris Rigg at Sunderland
There’s so much to like about Rigg and his style of play, which seems to really suit Le Bris’ style too.
His passing, and range of, his dribbling technique too, and the signs suggest that with a bit more work, Rigg could also uncover a scoring touch in the Championship.
But what may be most impressive about Rigg given his age is his willingness to fly into challenges and 50/50s.
There was a few moments against Portsmouth where Rigg, who isn’t the biggest player, flew into challenges nd came out on top.
He’s ready to do the dirty work out of possession which is obviously vital for a midfielder, and vital in the modern game too.
The ceiling keeps on getting higher for Rigg who keeps on rising to the challenge.
He could be in store for a very impressive season, and so too could Sunderland.