One crucial moment in the Sunderland draw vs Plymouth Argyle has been ‘harshly’ blamed on one man.
Sunderland were held to a draw in the dying minutes at the Stadium of Light as Plymouth Argyle snatched a point against Regis Le Bris’ side.
It was clear that the Black Cats weren’t in form across the pitch, from Chris Mepham looking uncharacteristically sloppy at the back, to Wilson Isidor being isolated in the final third. As a result, it would have been incredibly fortunate for Le Bris’ side, had they held on to all three points against the Pilgrims.
Whilst the full 90 minutes saw Le Bris’ side not quite up to scratch, many fans have looked at the pivotal moment where Plymouth Argyle pulled the game level at the death, with many believing that Anthony Patterson was at fault for the second Pilgrims goal. However, following the goal, the criticism delivered towards Patterson has now been regarded as ‘harsh’ by one journalist.
Sunderland journalist Michael Graham responds to Anthony Patterson criticism as he shares the blame
This season, Black Cats shot-stopper Patterson has been on the receiving end of negative judgement from supporters, often justified to solely put the blame on him, but on this occasion, journalist Michael Graham believes that the blame has to be spread across the defence.
Per X, Graham said: “I think there were about three or four players who should’ve dealt with it before it even got to Patterson. Harsh to put it just on him.”
The second Plymouth Argyle goal saw some scrappy errors from the Black Cats defence across the board, from Luke O’Nein’s unsuccessful headed clearance, the inability for three players rushing towards Darko Gyabi to prevent his headed pass, and the attempted save from Patterson. Whilst the goalkeeper was at fault, it was a catalogue of errors from Le Bris’ side that saw the chance materialise.
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Increased scrutiny over Anthony Patterson has blindsided fans from decent performances
Including against Plymouth Argyle, it is understandable to suggest that Patterson has had a few mistakes in him so far this season, but on the surface, there is still very little to take away from the fact that he has been solid for large periods this season.
Keeping 10 clean sheets, with three of which coming in the run up to the Plymouth Argyle draw, shows that Patterson has actually been on top form, and has had to pull off some big saves in their last four games, which have all seen Sunderland win by one-goal, barring the 0-0 Burnley draw.
There has been an improvement from the goalkeeper last season, who just tallied 12 clean sheets in the 2023/24 Championship campaign, and it is worth remembering that at 24-years-old, he is still widely inexperienced compared to the average top level goalkeeper, and whilst there remain concerns over his decision making at times, that will come with time.