Sunderland moved into the Championship playoff spots as they earned an emphatic 4-1 win over Wigan Athletic in their final game of 2022.
Ellis Simms handed Tony Mowbray’s side the lead with 19 minutes on the clock but the Black Cats were pegged back by Will Keane’s equaliser just before half time.
However, Mowbray made the necessary changes and substitute Ross Stewart converted from the penalty spot to make it 2-1 after Patrick Roberts was fouled, before the former Manchester City man and Amad Diallo scored late on to give the scoreline a far more convincing look.
While there were a number of impressive performances from Sunderland players at the DW Stadium, it was arguably Diallo who was the star man on Thursday evening.
The Manchester United loanee continued his fine goalscoring form with a beautifully taken finish late on, taking his tally to six for the season in the Championship.
As per Sofascore, the 20-year-old winger would earn an impressive 7.4/10 rating for his performance in Lancashire, with only Dan Neil (7.9), Trai Hume (7.9) and Roberts (7.5) rated higher.
During the 90 minutes, Diallo would have 75 touches of the ball, completing 38 passes with an accuracy rate of 90%, representing a significant upgrade on his 28.2 average passes and 83% average success rate in the Championship so far this season.
He would also contribute four shots at the DW Stadium, one of which would hit the woodwork and one of which would beat Jamie Jones for Sunderland’s fourth, which again is an increase on the 1.6 shots per game he has averaged in the second tier.
Journalist Josh Bunting was full of praise for the youngster on Twitter even before he rounded off Sunderland’s victory, writing:
“The way Amad Diallo gets on the ball and drives from midfield is just beautiful to watch, what a player we have, just has so much confidence at the moment. Different level for the Championship, outstanding at dropping back in and starting counterattacks.”
Mackems everywhere will be desperate for Manchester United not to recall Diallo in January as he continues to impress in Mowbray’s side, with the young winger once again showing how important he is at Sunderland in their final game of the year.
