, WhoScored’s top 5 performers in the hard-fought draw between Sunderland and Coventry City

WhoScored’s top 5 performers in the hard-fought draw between Sunderland and Coventry City

Yesterday saw Sunderland welcome Coventry City to Wearside and the Stadium of Light for the opening game of their 2022/23 SkyBet Championship campaign. It was a game that ended in a hard-fought, 1-1 draw.

It was a tight first half from both sides with Coventry City dominating the possession but with both sides equally threatening.

Sunderland took the lead through Jack Clarke (12′) who nodded in at the far post from a Lynden Gooch cross.

A Jonathan Panzo blast bounced off the bar for the Sky Blues but it was a half that ended 1-0 to the home side.

The second half was a carbon copy of the first, with Coventry City bossing possession but both sides having a share of the chances.

It was from one of these chances that Mark Robins’ side drew level. That came from Viktor Gyokeres (84′) who slammed home from outside the box following some impressive footwork.

The 1-1 scoreline aside, here are the top five performers from the game as per WhoScored‘s match data.

Jack Clarke (Sunderland) – WhoScored rating 8.1

In his first league game as a permanent Sunderland man, Clarke earned the game’s highest rating. Of course, the bulk of this came from his opener for the Black Cats.

However, his game was much more than just hitting the back of the net. Defensively, he won all five of his tackles as well as making one clearance.

Whilst his accuracy (41%) was low, the 21-year-old did manage to create two chances from the nine passes he completed. He also completed both his dribble attempts as well as both headers he contested.

Viktor Gyokeres (Coventry City) – WhoScored rating 8.1

24-year-old Gyokeres played the lone role up top for Coventry City. His endeavours were rewarded with his late leveller for the Sky Blues.

He was a constant thorn in Sunderland’s side, running at them all afternoon. Impressively, he completed a game-high six dribbles as well as 17 of his 22 pass attempts.

Lynden Gooch (Sunderland) – WhoScored rating 7.4

American winger Gooch provided the assist for Jack Clarke’s opening goal and that was always going to contribute highly to his rating.

However, he was active in other areas and helped out defensively with two tackles, one clearance and three interceptions.

Distribution-wise, he completed 11 of his 18 pass attempts (61%) and helped to set up two chances for teammates.

Alex Pritchard (Sunderland) – WhoScored rating 7.2

29-year-old Pritchard stood out for Sunderland in helping lead the line alongside Ross Stewart.

He saw a lot of possession (4.1%), taking 47 touches in the game. He was tidy (68%) with his distribution, completing 21 of his 31 passes – three leading to teammate chances.

He also helped out defensively, making two tackles with Sunderland under pressure from a good Coventry City side.

Jonathan Panzo (Coventry City) – WhoScored rating 7.2

The impressive Panzo played on the left side of a back three for Coventry City against Sunderland. His game was more than the assist for Gyokeres’ goal and that first-half thunder shot.

He saw a lot of the ball (10.4%), completing 73 of his 87 pass attempts in the game. One of these passes was a key pass leading to a chance.

Defensively, he made three tackles, one clearance and two interceptions as the Sky Blues clawed their way to a good draw.

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