Sunderland 4 Cardiff 0: Player ratings

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