Sunderland beat Preston North End 2-0 in the Championship today, handing the Black Cats a winning start to 2024.
Sunderland earned their second win of the Michael Beale era today, with the new boss claiming his first win at the Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats now sit in 6th place of the Championship table ahead of the 3pm kick offs today after first half goals from Alex Pritchard and Nazariy Rusyn handed them the win.
Pritchard scored with a curling effort after nine minutes before Rusyn doubled the lead before half-time, netting his first Championship goal for the club thanks to a beautiful run from Jack Clarke.
There were some standout performances for Sunderland today; Pritchard was electric throughout, Rusyn worked hard and showcased his energy up front, and Aji Alese earned praise upon his return from injury.
But centre-back Dan Ballard was dominant and a huge reason why Sunderland won comfortably.
Dan Ballard dominates defensive stats vs Preston
As per Sofascore, Ballard recorded 2 tackles vs Preston, won 5 out of 9 duels, and 2 out of 5 aerial duels (joint-most of anyone on the pitch).
Ballard also made 44 accurate passes with just two misplaced passes (joint-third most passes of any Sunderland player vs Preston and the highest pass percentage of anyone), with 4 clearances and 1 block to his name as well.
After the game, journalist James Copley described Ballard as a ‘rock’ at the back for Sunderland.
Keeping Ballard fit is key for Sunderland
The 24-year-old has now started all but one of Sunderland’s Championship matches this season, finishing all but one.
He only featured 19 times in the Championship last season after injury curtailed his campaign. But he showed his class despite a lack of game time, and fans are really seeing a star in the making this time round.
The ex-Arsenal man plays with such composure on the ball; he’s brilliantly suited to the modern game with his range of passing and ability to move forward in possession.
But he also boasts the traits of an old school centre-back in that he’s dominant in the air and on the ground, and never shies away from a tackle either.
Keeping Ballard fit then is vital to Sunderland’s play-off push this season and although his performance today might go under the radar somewhat, the stats show that Ballard had a huge influence in what was a strong win for the Black Cats.
Up next is the FA Cup clash vs Newcastle United on Saturday.