Journalist says one Sunderland player had Birmingham City ‘frightened to death’ on Saturday

With Jack Clarke in the spotlight, Sunderland defeated Birmingham City 3-1 on Saturday afternoon to earn their second victory in three games.

With a goal against his previous team in the 17th minute, Jobe Bellingham gave the Black Cats an early halftime lead.
However, in the thirtyth minute, Ryo Miyoshi gave the Blues an equalizer, and the scores were tied going into halftime.

Dion Sanderson gave Sunderland an early lead in the second half by inadvertently placing the ball in his own goal.

 

Then, Sunderland’s third and final goal of the game sealed all three points at the Stadium of Light thanks to a goal by Adil Aouchiche, his first for the team since joining from Lorient in the summer.

Despite not scoring, it was Jack Clarke who starred once again for the hosts.

Black Cats star praised once again

Journalist for the Newcastle Chronicle, James Hunter, gave Clarke an eight out of ten in his player ratings, saying:

“Birmingham looked frightened to death every time he had the ball. He set up Aouchiche for the third goal.”

Clarke continues to shine for Sunderland

Clarke has emerged as Sunderland’s standout performer this season, stepping up to the forefront after Amad Diallo’s return to Manchester United at the conclusion of his loan spell. While Diallo garnered much praise in the previous season, Clarke quietly played a crucial role, contributing nine goals and providing eleven assists as the team secured a spot in the playoffs during their inaugural season back in the second tier post-promotion.

Despite the youthfulness of the squad, manager Tony Mowbray aims to build on the successes of the previous season, with Clarke poised to be the guiding force. Currently, Clarke has matched his goal tally from the previous season, scoring nine times. The absence of a prolific goal-scoring striker in Sunderland’s lineup has compelled Clarke to take on the responsibility of leading the team’s goal-scoring efforts.

Looking ahead, Mowbray is optimistic that Clarke can maintain his impressive form and stay injury-free until at least January. The plan is to secure an experienced striker at that point, reinforcing the team’s ability to score goals and propel them higher up the league standings.