Sunderland put in another fairly drab performance vs QPR. But one player had a particularly good game.
Sunderland drew 0-0 with QPR in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.
Mike Dodds‘ side remain in 12th place of the table and have finally ended what was a six-game losing streak before kick off.
Though the performance was another with little to talk about; QPR arguably had the better chances and maybe should’ve scored, whilst the Black Cats failed to have a single shot on target.
Dodds once again started Luis Hemir but the striker struggled to make an impact and came under criticism from fans.
But one player kept Sunderland in the game throughout; Anthony Patterson.
Anthony Patterson stats vs QPR
Patterson pulled off a couple of good saves in the draw vs QPR, with a particular save against QPR man Chris Willock in the second half catching the eye.
As per Sofascore, the 23-year-old Sunderland academy graduate man made 5 saves vs QPR, whilst Asmir Begovic in the QPR made none, with Patterson preventing 1.64 goals.
Patterson has now kept nine clean sheets in the Championship this season.
Mike Dodds hails ‘unbelievable’ Anthony Patterson after QPR
Speaking to Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith after the game, Dodds picked out Patterson for praise, saying:
“I’ve got to praise Patta [Patterson] because that’s an unbelievable save. I think that justifies our belief that he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the league.”
Today marked Patterson’s 38th league appearance of the season so far, having played every minute for the Black Cats in the Championship this season, and his 109th total league appearances for the club following his breakthrough in the 2021/22 campaign.
Patterson showed his class despite drab QPR performance
The fact that Sunderland were reliant on Patterson to keep them in the game vs QPR speaks volumes about the current state of the form.
Once again the Black Cats were lacking in attack, with Jack Clarke’s injury having really put a halt to the club’s attacking momentum.
But Patterson’s performance is certainly a positive and it helped towards a much-needed point for the Black Cats.
It comes after a mixed season from Patterson who’s been no stranger to criticism, despite reports of Liverpool being interested in a potential swoop.
Patterson now needs to maintain this kind of consistency, though it may be difficult as he’ll likely have an ever-changing back-four in front of him owing to injuries and suspensions between now and the end of the season.
Sunderland return to Championship action vs Cardiff City next weekend.