Sunderland 2-1 Southampton: Player Ratings

Costel Pantilimon – 7

Didn’t have a lot to do, he possibly could’ve held onto the ball when taken out by Coates for Southampton’s goal but it was Coates’s fault.  He made a vital save in added time to deny Davis.

Patrick Van Aanholt – 6

Didn’t seem to really make a big impact going forward and he defended ok. He was dragged inside quite a few times leaving Wickham to deal with some wing threats.

Billy Jones – 6

Jones put a good shift in but after Sunderland regained the lead both fullbacks were hesitant to get forward.

John O'Shea – 5

Went off early with a head injury and he was involved in the Southampton goal although the blame is more on Coates.

Seb Coates – 5

He was at fault for the goal and made several stray passes, however he marked Pelle well all game giving the striker nothing.

Lee Cattermole – 7

Commanded the midfield very well and calmed everything down towards the end of the game. He sprayed the ball around well switching play and excelled with the armband.

Seb Larsson – 7

A typical Larsson performance. He put a great shift in and pressed Southampton well particularly in the first half. He had a good free kick saved in a game of very few chances.

Jordi Gomez – 7

General performance wasn’t anything spectacular as he still ponders on the ball far too much. However he stuck both penalties away very well.

Connor Wickham – 7

Worked hard all game particularly tracking back down the left side. He still makes the wrong decisions when attacking with the ball.

Jermain Defoe– 6

Defoe didn’t have too much to work off in front of goal but he was fouled for the second penalty and put himself about well making tackles and closing down.

Danny Graham -8

Man of the match performance from Graham. He led the line like a true centre forward and was instrumental in winning both penalties.

Santiago Vergini – 6 (sub)

Came on in the first half and did ok. He nearly gifted Southampton an equaliser in added time when he failed to clear the ball.

Adam Johnson – 5 (sub)

Johnson added a bit of pace towards the end of the game and he did well taking the ball into the corner a few times.

Jack Rodwell – 6 (sub)

Worked hard in the middle and hit the post late on when he broke clear without any support.

Man Of The Match – Danny Graham

Worked hard all day and he was generally fantastic.