Sunderland won for the third time in four Championship matches as they beat Queens Park Rangers 3-1 away at Loftus Road on Saturday.
Who scored in Sunderland’s win over QPR?
The home side took the lead in the 12th minute of the match as a long throw was not dealt with by Tony Mowbray’s team and that allowed Kenneth Paal to guide a composed strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Jack Clarke found the equaliser just before half-time as his deflected strike from distance made it 1-1, just over 20 minutes after Jack Colback was sent off for a late challenge on Jobe Bellingham.
Dan Ballard put the Black Cats in front just over ten minutes into the second half as the central defender was on hand to tap the ball into an empty net after the goalkeeper denied Alex Pritchard from close range.
All three points were then wrapped up as Abdoullah Ba raced onto an excellent cross from Adil Aouchiche and found the roof of the net to make it 3-1.
How good was Jack Clarke against QPR?
Clarke stole the show with a phenomenal display out wide for the Black Cats but another player, who was Mowbray’s unsung hero on the day, also deserves credit – Dan Neil.
The Sunderland academy graduate produced an outstanding performance in the middle of the park as he caught the eye with his actions in and out of possession.
|
Joe Clarke vs QPR in numbers (via Sofascore) |
|
94 touches |
|
4 dribbles |
|
4 key passes |
|
59% duels won |
|
84% pass success |
Clarke was a constant threat to the QPR defence with his ability to dribble and create opportunities, registering eight dribbles and key passes combined at the top end of the pitch.
Combine that with his equalising goal and it was quite the afternoon for the wide man.
How good was Dan Neil against QPR?
Neil, however, also impressed with his contributions at both ends of the pitch. Off the ball, the 5 foot 10 midfielder won seven of his nine duels (78%), including four of his five aerial battles, which shows that he stood up to the physical test that the opposition provided.
As per Sofascore, the 21-year-old also enjoyed a whopping 107 touches of the ball and completed 96% of his attempted passes throughout the 90 minutes, which resulted in the Englishman creating three chances for his fellow attackers.
No player had more touches than the £1.3k-per-week earner in the match which illustrated the control that he had on the game in midfield as he was able to dictate the play and allowed Sunderland to dominate and create opportunities, which ultimately led to them winning the clash.
The Black Cats star was impressively reliable with his passing, as shown by his 96% success rate, but he was not afraid to play forward to break down the opposition, which was proven by his three key passes.
On that evidence, Neil was certainly the unsung hero of the match as he put in a fantastic showing alongside Clarke. He did not get on the scoresheet or constantly dribble past players like his compatriot but his metronomic play in midfield was pivotal to maintaining control and played a big role in the result.