One Sunderland man was ‘back at his best’ during today’s win over Hull City.
Sunderland earned their first win of the Michael Beale era today, winning 1-0 away at Hull City courtesy of Jack Clarke‘s 10th goal of the season.
It was a hard-fought game that could’ve gone either way. But the Black Cats dug deep, got their goal and hung on for a win which sees them return to the top six.
Beale’s men replace Hull City in 6th place of the table ahead of a trip to Rotherham United on Friday night in what feels like an early must-win game for the new Sunderland boss.
But Beale will be boosted by today’s win and boosted by the performance of Pierre Ekwah.
Pierre Ekwah ‘back at his best’ for Sunderland
Ekwah has only been with Sunderland for 11 months, but it seems like he’s been at the club for much longer, and playing in the Championship for much longer.
He made 16 Championship outings in the second half of last season and made his 18th of this current campaign today.
But this season hasn’t been a straight-forward one for the Frenchman who’s faced criticism from fans.
An injury earlier in the campaign appeared to derail his form, but journalist Phil Smith said the 21-year-old was back to his best today.
Smith posted on X:
And Michael Graham was also quick to praise Ekwah after today’s game, posting:
Can Michael Beale get the most out of Ekwah?
Beale showed his tactical nouse today, making some slight changes which appeared to get the best out of Ekwah who on his day can be a real game-changer for Sunderland.
Ekwah seemed to have more freedom and space in the middle of the pitch with Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham playing slightly more ahead, and that space allowed Ekwah to shine.
Criticism of him earlier in the campaign wasn’t unjust; after such an impressive start to the season, his drop in performance levels was notable, but today he covered ground and showed his range of passing in what was a huge win for the Black Cats.
As per Sofascore, Ekwah completed 44 out of 48 passes, with 66 touches of the ball; the 4th most and 3rd most, respectively, out of the Sunderland players today.
Sunderland finish what’s been an eventful 2023 with a trip to South Yorkshire to face bottom club Rotherham United on Friday night.