Former Sunderland defender Danny Collins was spoilt for choice when picking his Man of the Match following Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Oxford United at the Stadium of Light.
Would he go for Trai Hume? The in-form right-back who assisted Sunderland’s opener?
What about Jobe Bellingham, the midfielder who powered home Hume’s cross with a towering header to cap what was perhaps his most complete display yet in the red and white stripes?
Patrick Roberts justified Regis Le Bris’ faith with an impressive return to the starting XI, meanwhile, with the baby-faced midfield duo of Chris Rigg and Dan Neil in typically imperious nick.
“[Sunderland] set their stall out early on, really. Patrick, coming back in, was full of energy,” Collins smiles, the Black Cats moving five points clear at the top with their third win in the space of six days.
“Just energy. Jobe and Chrissy Rigg, fantastic again. It looked like their first game of the week! Full of energy, fresh.”
Danny Collins full of praise for Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor
In the end, it was captain Dan Neil who stood out the most from Collins’ perspective.
Le Bris hinted in midweek that he wanted more from Sunderland skipper Neil, the midfielder struggling at times in a deeper role as the Wearsiders defeated Rob Edwards’ Luton Town 2-1 at Kenilworth Road.
And this was more like it from Neil as Sunderland swept Oxford United aside to secure a 28th point out of a possible 36.
The South Shields-born playmaker assisted a goal for a third straight Championship fixture when clipping a fine pass into an onrushing Wilson Isidor. But if Neil’s pass was impressive, the finish Isidor produced – volleying in off the post with his first touch – was nothing short of sensational.
“Wilson [Isidor], timing his runs, the movement… When you watch it on the tele, sometimes you can’t always see his movement off the ball,” Collins says of Isidor. “He is a nightmare for centre-halves.
“His movement off the ball, he goes into feet, he spins in behind, we saw how quick he is last week at Hull.
“He’s got to time his runs and he does that. You’ve got to have that willing runner to run in behind for Dan to play that pass. Off the back of his man, he could have brought it down, he has got Romaine [Mundle] square if he needs him.
“But he’s full of confidence. Great finish. He just watches it drop over his shoulder, eye on the ball, timing, contact, and bang.
“You can see he loves it and he enjoys playing in this stadium in front of these fans.”
Oxford United Des Buckingham boss called Isidor’s finish ‘wonderful’
Isidor endured a miserable spell at Zenit St Petersburg but has been a man reborn alongside his former Rennes youth coach Le Bris in England’s North East. The striker now has four goals from six league starts, following up his stunning solo effort in the 1-0 win over Hull City with a very different but equally eye-catching finish at home to The Us.
Oxford boss Des Buckingham was left to rue a ‘wonderful’ Isidor finish, meanwhile, as the newly-promoted outfit failed to add Sunderland to an impressive array of scalps.
“It’s a top team. They are in top form at the moment,” Buckingham told BBC Radio Oxford at full-time, his Oxford side previously claiming points off Norwich, West Brom and Burnley.
“We can try and set ourselves up to come here and do what we can but, when you come up against a team like that, [a defeat] can happen.
“To get that type of finish, with the ball being played over your shoulder, it’s a wonderful finish.”
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris played down fears over a potential Isidor injury after he was subbed off with a knock late on, meanwhile. The Black Cats should also have goalkeeper Anthony Patterson back sooner rather than later after Simon Moore stood in for him on Saturday.