We rate Sunderland’s players after their 0-0 draw with Arsenal last night, which confirmed their Premier League status.
Costel Pantilimon – 8
The Romanian goalkeeper has had a fine first season at Sunderland, and he continued to show his class against Arsenal. Was called into action regularly, but was always a match for the Gunners’ front-line.
Patrick Van Aanholt – 7
The rapid full-back is an obvious weapon going forward, but he showed his defensive discipline last night.
John O’Shea – 8
Came back into the team following injury and showed his worth, leading the backline.
Sebastian Coates – 8
His resurgence under Dick Advocaat continues. Was very solid last night, leading to calls from Liverpool fans to give him a first-team role next season.
Billy Jones – 8
Jones is always reliable and he didn’t disappoint against Arsenal.
Sebastian Larsson – 7
Sunderland’s player of the season continued to impress, as he put in another solid display.
Lee Cattermole – 7
Protected his defence well throughout, breaking up a number of Arsenal attacks.
Adam Johnson – 7
May not have impacted on the match in an attacking sense as much as he would have been hoping, but he still did a solid job.
Connor Wickham – 6
Replaced at half-time by Jack Rodwell, he made little impact during his time on the field.
Jermain Defoe – 7
Played out of position, but Defoe managed to show his defensive qualities and stuck to his task well.
Danny Graham – 7
Led the line well for the time he was on the pitch, using all of his energy to press the Arsenal defence. His task was a thankless one, but he deserves a lot of credit.
Substitutions:
Jack Rodwell – 7
Made Sunderland’s defence even harder to break through.
Steven Fletcher – 6
Should have scored after coming on at half-time, but can still feel relatively pleased with his display.
Will Buckley – 6
Only on for 15 minutes but stuck to his task well after being introduced.
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