Dan Neil was excellent again for Sunderland on Wednesday night, with the Black Cats skipper commanding midfield with his ever-impressive range of passing. But there was another who was arguably better on the night.
Sunderland put some vital points on the board following their 2-0 win against Luton Town on Wednesday night, with Regis Le Bris’ side returning to winning ways ahead of their crunch match against Leeds United at Elland Road on Monday.
Goals came from Enzo Le Fee and Wilson Isidor either side of half-time on what was a relatively comfortable win for Sunderland. Luton Town looked dead and buried from the off and in the end, it was light work for Sunderland.
After the game, Gary Bennett hailed Dan Neil’s performance for Sunderland. The 23-year-old dictated the game from the middle of the pitch and is stealing the bulk of plaudits following the win.
But Dan Ballard at the back was a rock, as he so often is, putting in a really dominant performance on what was his first start since before Christmas.
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Dan Ballard’s impressive stats during Sunderland’s win vs Luton Town
On the night, Ballard saw more of the ball than any other player, recording an incredible 109 touches and completing 75 out of 86 passes (87% completion), which is second to only Luke O’Nien on the night.
And defensively, Ballard also ranked highest. The Northern Ireland international made a staggering 20 defensive actions on the night (nine more than any other player), and 18 of those were clearances.
On top of that, the 25-year-old recorded more aerial duels won than any other player (six out of eight), highlighting his sheer dominance in the air on Wednesday night, even against a physical Luton Town side.
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What Regis Le Bris said about Dan Ballard’s Sunderland future
Speaking before the game against Luton Town, Le Bris addressed a lot of debate among fans that Ballard should be starting games. There was a big cry for physicality in the side after the draw against Watford in the previous outing.
And one of the questions Le Bris was asked was whether he could face a difficult conversation with Ballard in the summer, given the centre-back’s lack of game time. Le Bris simply replied ‘not really’.
Ballard returning to the XI at the expense of Chris Mepham shows how highly-rated Ballard really is behind the scenes on Wearside. After performances like the one against Luton, it’s going to be hard to drop Ballard again.