Sunderland hosted Bristol City at the Stadium of Light in the midweek fixtures in the Championship looking to record back-to-back wins after victory over Stoke City at the weekend.
Regis Le Bris switched up his team for the visit of Bristol City, with Eliezer Mayenda and Chris Mepham given starts and Luke O’Nien and Patrick Roberts dropping out.
A goalless first half was largely dominated by Sunderland, who had the lion’s share of possession and created plenty of chances, but couldn’t find a way to get the ball in the back of the net.
Le Bris had discussed the threat posed by Bristol City before the game, and the Robins took the lead after an hour thanks to some incredibly sluggish defending from the Black Cats as they failed to clear their lines.
From there, the visitors took control of the game and Sunderland appeared to lose interest in the contest. But, the undefeated run at the Stadium of Light was rescued in injury time thanks to a close-range finish from Roberts to salvage a point.
Sunderland player ratings from the 1-1 draw vs Bristol City
We watched Sunderland draw against Bristol City on Tuesday night and rated all the players for the Black Cats on a scale of 1-10…
Anthony Patterson – 6
Just the one save to make in the first half and Patterson dealt with it well. Could do very little about the goal.
Trai Hume – 6
A misplaced pass early in the first half put Sunderland in trouble briefly. Offered plenty going forward in the first half but faded out of the game in the second.
Chris Mepham – 7
Played a lovely long ball over the top for Wilson Isidor. Carried the ball out of defence with composure and was constantly looking to play progressive passes. Didn’t put a foot wrong, to be fair.
Dan Ballard – 4
Was barely involved until he’ll wish he wasn’t. Has to do better to clear the ball in the box, and must take a big portion of the blame for Bristol City’s opener.
Aji Alese – 4
Looked a lot sharper down the left and was involved frequently in advanced areas. However, has to take a lot of responsibility for that calamity in the box, too, with a poor clearance his final involvement in the game.
- READ MORE: Regis Le Bris reveals ‘main idea’ for Sunderland after win vs Stoke City, ‘new dynamic’ needed
Dan Neil – 6
The Sunderland skipper just quietly got on with his work tonight. Came alive just after 70 minutes with great reading of the game, and even more impressive carrying forward to create a big chance for the home side, but it came to nothing in the end.
Jobe Bellingham – 6
A fairly quiet night for Jobe Bellingham. Some decent ball-winning and battling in the middle of the park, but little impact going forward.
Eliezer Mayenda – 7
Offered good link-up play and tricky footwork down the right, proving he deserved his place in the side despite Patrick Roberts’ impressive performance against Stoke. Arguably Sunderland’s most dangerous player on the night in the end.
Chris Rigg – 7
Some really nice play in the middle from the teenager, and a couple of exciting bursts into the box. Had two huge chances blocked in the second half. Will be gutted not to have found the net with one of his many shots.
Tommy Watson – 7
Once again very lively. You could feel the confidence flowing through him as he was constantly demanding the ball and wanting to create things. Unfortunately, though, his night ended very early, with the youngster coming off injured after 27 minutes.
Wilson Isidor – 6
Unlucky on a couple of occasions, including a strong header in the box. Was a real nuisance throughout, but will be disappointed not to have made more of a meaningful impact once again as his goal drought continues.
Substitutes needed early doors for Sunderland
Patrick Roberts – 8
The winger was introduced much earlier than expected, replacing the injured Tommy Watson before the half-hour mark. Once again looked really sharp, exhibiting some lovely passes. Played in a couple of dangerous crosses after some neat work on the edge of the box. Came up trumps with the goal at the end to rescue Sunderland.
Dennis Cirkin – 6
Just looked a little bit off the pace, which is understandable. Some decent ball-carrying runs down the left, though.
Adil Aouchiche – 5
On with roughly ten minutes of normal time go. Missed a golden opportunity when he found himself on the end of a deep cross.
Aaron Connolly – 5
Replaced Isidor with just over ten minutes remaining. Barely made any impact.