Three Sunderland players have deservedly been named in a recent Team of The Week.
Sunderland beat Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening to close the gap on the current top two of Leeds United and Sheffield United.
Eliezer Mayenda’s brace led the Black Cats to victory at Hillsborough Stadium, with the second the pick of the bunch as Trai Hume delivered an assist. Mayenda’s first goal was controversial, as he was seemingly helped by his hand cushioning the ball before it was bundled in.
The game saw some difficult performances, with Jobe Bellingham struggling at times, however, it was a massive improvement on recent weeks, with Sunderland returning to winning ways following two successive defeats against Leeds and Hull City.
As a result of their efforts, three Sunderland players have been named in the WhoScored Team of the Week, with one potentially being quite a surprise.
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Sunderland stars Eliezer Mayenda and Trai Hume join surprise third name in Team of the Week
In WhoScored’s recent Team of the Week, it is no surprise to see Mayenda leading the line, having received a rating of 9.0 for his ‘outstanding’ performance, as suggested by Michael Graham on X, the highest across the Championship this weekend.
It was the 19-year-old’s first start since the win vs Derby County, which he also bagged a goal in.
Alongside the Spanish goalscorer, Hume was superb in the win, and has also been named in the Championship Team of the Week, having notably notched the assist for Mayenda’s winner with a delightful looping cross from deep on the right wing.
The Sunderland pair were surprisingly joined by Leo Hjelde on his return to the side, setting Mayenda up for his first goal in his first league start since April 2024.
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Leo Hjelde provided huge surprise with attacking output vs Sheffield Wednesday
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris surprised many with his team selection against Sheffield Wednesday, making many changes, including the surprise inclusion of Hjelde.
Having not started in just less than 11 months, whilst managing just 16 minutes of Championship action before the game, the pressure was certainly on the young Norwegian to perform.
On occasions, Hjelde struggled defensively, but he was able to replicate Dennis Cirkin’s offensive abilities with the brilliant assist in the first half against Sheffield Wednesday. His showing certainly could be the foundations of him getting his Sunderland career back on track and becoming a solid first team option.