Player Ratings: Sunderland 1-3 Portsmouth - Black Cats poor as they suffer first league defeat

Lee Burge: 6/10

Made a couple decent saves to keep Sunderland in the game in the opening period. He was beaten by two quality finishes and from the spot, but arguably showed too much of the corner to John Marquiss for Portsmouth’s second.

Jordan Willis: 4/10

Really struggled with the pace of the game. Willis was caught out for Marcus Harness’ opener, and didn’t show enough quality on the ball against Portsmouth’s press. His mid to long range passing was consistently poor.

Bailey Wright: 7/10

The glue that held a bad defence together in a miserable first half. Without Wright looking after the ball and making crucial interceptions in our third, Pompey could have been out-of-sight.

Luke O’Nien: 4/10

One of many players who started the game playing with a bizarre lethargy, just passing the ball with no concentration or purpose. O’Nien seemed to be getting to grips with the intensity of the match up and then spoilt his performance with his baffling decision to foul Harness late on. Already on a booking, not only did he get sent off, he killed our chances of a comeback, moronic.

Lynden Gooch: 5/10

Was kept really quiet in an attacking sense, another who was guilty of conceding possession in bad areas under limited pressure in the first half. In the second half he gave away the ball too much trying to force play.

Grant Leadbitter: 5/10

There were some good passes and the odd switch of play that caught the eye, but there was no single moment that could repair the damage from his awful, lazy pass that set Portsmouth away to score their second.

Josh Scowen: 4/10

Picked a bad time to have his worst showing in a Sunderland shirt. His technical quality just wasn’t there: poor set pieces, bad passes and a lost first touch.

Max Power: 4/10

Like a lot of games in our tweaked system for this season, Power felt like an afterthought, I can’t remember him being involved much at all, good or bad.

Denver Hume: 6/10

It was Hume’s fearless direct running and smart cutback that created Sunderland’s first, but it was also his meek defending and lack of awareness that started Portsmouth’s attacking sequence for their early goal.

Chris Maguire: 7/10

One of few Sunderland players that remembered football matches kick-off at 3. He wasn’t at his best, but he at least pressed and went looking for the ball with a purpose.

Charlie Wyke: 6/10

Good to see Wyke’s goal scoring run continue, another attack minded player that struggled to continuously impact the game however.

(SUB) Will Grigg : 5/10

Was unlucky to miss the target with one half chance, quiet otherwise.

(SUB) Danny Graham: n/a

Unable to impact the contest as soon after his introduction O’Nien killed the game by conceding the stupidest of penalties.

Man of the Match

Bailey Wright