Sunderland 4 Cardiff 0: Player ratings
Sunderland 4 Cardiff 0: Player ratings as Connor Wickham impresses
Sunderland
Vito Mannone Barely tested but showed outstanding reflexes to keep out Whittingham’s deflected free-kick. 6/10
Santiago Vergini Solid display from the Argentine in an unfavoured right-back role. 6
John O’Shea Quiet afternoon for the skipper as he comfortably dealt with the threat of Campbell. 6
Wes Brown Alongside his experienced counterpart, the former Manchester United man didn’t put a foot wrong. 6
Marcos Alonso Proved useful in both thirds of the pitch, as he offered an option going forward. 7
Sebastian Larsson Always looked to spearhead forward-thinking movement. Teasing set-piece delivery was a constant threat. 7
Lee Cattermole In his 100th league appearance for club, the tough-tackling midfielder was at his combative best. Offered a useful shield for the back four. 6
Jack Colback Formed a key part of a midfield trio who dominated their opposite numbers. 6
Adam Johnson Tricky wing play troubled a visiting defence short of confidence. 7
Connor Wickham (Man of the match) Strong hold-up play proved a useful outlet and timely double of headers boosted hopes of survival. 8
Fabio Borini Kept his cool to slot home a pressure-packed penalty to double the advantage before the break. Disguised through-ball set up the third. 7
Substitutes
Emanuele Giaccherini Sublime finish was just second goal in last 24 appearances. Proving to be a useful presence from the bench. 6
Liam Bridcutt N/A
Craig Gardner N/A
Cardiff
David Marshall Often the saviour but had no chance with any of the goals conceded. 5
Kevin Theophile-Catherine Not as his best. Outmuscled by Wickham for two of the strikes. 5
Stephen Caulker Captain tried to harness a reaction from his team-mates but his pleas fell on deaf ears. 5
Juan Cala Shown a straight red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity, which prompted an incredulous reaction from the Spaniard. 4
Fabio Endured a frustrating afternoon, which was summed up by a needless push on Larsson. Wingers caused him problems throughout. 5
Don Cowie Made no impact on proceedings. Substituted at half-time as Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer chased an unlikely comeback. 4
Gary Medel Deployed as a centre-half in the second half after Cala’s sending-off. Player nicknamed “The Pitbull” was easily tamed. 5
Peter Whittingham Good save by the keeper denied him a goal but this was a rare contribution from him. 5
Jordon Mutch Offered support to lone striker. Wasted a good chance to half the deficit after nodding a header wide. 6
Mats Daehli Diminutive winger threatened to cause trouble but kept quiet. 5
Fraizer Campbell Ploughing a lone furrow up top, the pacey striker failed to make a mark. 5
Substitutes
Wilfried Zaha Brought on at the break to try and harness a turnaround but didn’t make a notable contribution. 5
Kenwyne Jones Former Black Cat was kept at bay by solid displays from Sunderland’s centre-backs. 5
Craig Bellamy Faced a chorus of boos from home crowd every time he touched the ball. Made no impact. 4




