Sunderland won 2-0 away at Cardiff City in the Championship on Friday.
Sunderland returned to Championship action after a two-week break with a trip to Wales on Good Friday.
The Black Cats headed to the Welsh capital to face play-off dark horses Cardiff City, who started the day five points ahead of Mike Dodds‘ side, but just a place above them in the table.
Sunderland hadn’t won in their previous seven before today, halting a run of six-straight defeats with a 0-0 draw vs QPR before the break.
But the Black Cats were 2-0 in front at half-time of today’s game.
Adil Aouchiche opened the scoring from the spot before Jobe Bellingham added the second soon after, with his seventh Championship goal of the season.
The second half proved fairly uneventful, though that will have suited Dodds and Sunderland who claimed an impressive and much-needed win on the road.
Jobe Bellingham scores for Sunderland vs Cardiff City
The no.9 position has been a contested one for Sunderland this season.
The club signed three strikers last summer in Luis Hemir, Nazariy Rusyn, and Mason Burstow, though neither one of them ahs really impressed.
Rusyn is perhaps the most exciting of the three but he’s injured right now, prompting Dodds to play Bellingham up front for today’s game.
The 18-year-old has led the line on several occasions this season and after performances like the one vs Cardiff, many are starting to think that no.9 is Bellingham’s best position.
Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith tweeted during the game vs Cardiff:
Jobe Bellingham can ease Kristjaan Speakman striker issues
Kristjaan Speakman has come under scrutiny in the past few weeks.
Not only are Sunderland lacking a striker, having missed a huge chance to sign one in January despite Speakman revealing that the club tried to sign two strikers, but the team is also lacking experience.
Bellingham is one of the more senior players in the XI and the bulk of his experience has come this season.
But the former Birmingham City man could help to ease at least one of Speakman’s Sunderland transfer issues in the summer, should he persist as a striker.
That’ll largely depend on who Sunderland’s next boss is, though.
Dodds may be inclined to keep playing Bellingham up front for the remainder of the season with the Englishman looking like his best option there right now.
And if Bellingham continues to impress, showing typical poacher qualities like for his goal today, then he’ll surely tempt the next boss into keeping him as a striker.
He has the physicality to play that role and he’s shown a scoring touch this season too.
Expect new strikers to arrive in the summer, but Bellingham could yet be a solution for Sunderland.