Sunderland are under the new ownership of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and are looking good for it. They currently top League One after five games played.
The Black Cats faced an equally impressive Accrington Stanley outfit yesterday – The ‘Owd Reds sitting just behind them in 2nd.
In some respects, this was an early-season six-pointer of a game, one that could have seen the Black Cats put space between the pair.
Lee Johnson’s side took an early lead in the game when former Spurs defender Dennis Cirkin laid on the opening goal for Daniel Neil (15′). The Black Cats looked good value for money.
However, 15 minutes later and Accrington were level when defender Michael Nottingham (30′) restored parity. It was an open half that ended 1-1.
The second half saw a spirited start from both sides but it was the home side Black Cats who struck first. Defender Carl Winchester (58’) made it 2-1 after turning in an Aiden McGeady assist.
Here are three Sunderland players who stood out for Lee Johnson’s Sunderland outfit in the victory over Accrington Stanley.
Daniel Neil – WhoScored rating 7.75
19-year-old defensive midfielder Neil really stood up to be counted in today’s hard-fought win against a very good Accrington Stanley outfit.
He scored the opening goal and saw a lot of the possession (5%) for the Black Cats. He also completed his passes with high accuracy (82%) with 28 passes complete from 34 attempts – three of these going on to provide chances for teammates.
For a player of such tender years, it was a performance to be proud of and one that should buoy his confidence ahead of next week’s game against Fleetwood Town.
Dennis Cirkin – WhoScored rating 7.64
19-year-old Cirkin was brought to the Stadium of Light from Premier League Spurs and is quickly looking the part for the Black Cats.
He played on the left edge of the Sunderland defensive line and turned in a strong performance. He completed at a low accuracy (61%) with just nine completed passes but two of these passes led to chances for teammates – one an assist for Daniel Neil’s opener.
On the defensive front, Cirkin made both his tackles, four clearances and one interception in an excellent all-round display.
Aiden McGeady – WhoScored rating 7.40
Aiden McGeady provided the assist for Carl Winchester’s winner against Accrington Stanley this afternoon. It was McGeady’s first assist of the season.
He also was busy – a thorn in the ‘Owd Reds’ side – and worked his way into position for three shots.
Whilst not overly accurate with his passing (70%), two of McGeady’s 14 accurate passes were classed as key passes and provided chances for teammates.
It was a strong performance from an old warhorse in McGeady who continues to feed the bullets to a performing Black Cats side.
Data used was derived from the Sunderland vs Accrington Stanley match profile on WhoScored’s website.
