Sunderland delivered one of their best performances of the season as Lamine Kone grabbed a late winner.
Everybody in Sam Allardyce’s side played their part in what may turn out to be a vital victory for the Black Cats.
Strong showing in defence
Vito Mannone – 7. The Italian stopper made a number of good saves to deny United and kept the Black Cats level. However, Mannone may be disappointed when he sees a replay of Anthony Martial’s goal. The 'keeper made a good an initial save with Martial tucking away the rebound, upon closer inspection, Mannone could have pushed it around the post.
John O’Shea – 8. The former United man may be Sunderland’s unsung hero in this game. Although he appeared to have a quiet game, the skipper halted numerous attacking threats against his old club and led the line very well. The Irishman also took the sponsors’ Man of the Match award, well deserved after a solid performance.
Lamine Kone – 8. The January signing has settled down comfortably on Wearside and impressed in the three matches he has played. It may have been a power struggle to eventually bring the centre-back to the Stadium of Light but Big Sam’s persistent pursuit is certainly paying dividends now.
The Ivorian will be very unlucky if his winning goal is given as a David De Gea own goal as it was a well worked header, which the former Lorient man powered down perfectly. The unit also finally poses a much needed threat from set-pieces for Allardyce’s side.
Patrick van Aanholt – 7. Two words: Roberto Carlos. Okay, so not quite but the left-back continued his run of impressive form. Van Aanholt posed an attacking threat to United’s defence and tracked back well. However, the defender is guilty of going for glory on one too many occasions; there were a number of times the left-back went for a long-range shot today rather than squaring the ball to N’Doye or Defoe.
DeAndre Yedlin – 7. Many of the Sunderland fans wanted to see the American international start today after a bad run of form from Billy Jones and, due to a hip injury for the latter, the Black Cats’ faithful got their wish. The Spurs right-back did a good job going forward but also carried his defensive duties as well.
Midfield put in a solid shift
Jan Kirchhoff – 6. Sunderland fans were looking forward to seeing more of Kirchhoff after he delivered decent performances against Manchester City and Liverpool, however his lack of match-fitness caught up with him and he was forced off with a knock early on.
Yann M’Vila – 8. There is no wonder Wearside was so delighted with the news that if Sunderland secure Premier League safety, this man would love to sign a new deal at the club. The Rubin Kazan loanee put in his usual impressive shift and was solid as ever defensively.
Lee Cattermole – 7. The feisty midfielder has received criticism as of late but looked to resemble his normal self in the second-half, as he proved vital defensively for his team.
Khazri comes up trumps
Dame N’Doye – 8. The former Hull striker was a signing that raised a few eye-brows in the window but Sunderland fans will be able to see why Big Sam wanted to bring the loanee to the Stadium of Light. Playing on the right-wing, he was a great attacking threat for Sunderland won a lot of aerial duels.
Wahbi Khazri – 9. Khazri may just turn out to be Sunderland’s signing of the season. The winger scored a long-range free-kick just three minutes into the game and caused United problems from the outset and throughout. Van Gaal’s men struggled to deal with the midfielder’s creativity and Sunderland have certainly found themselves a gem.
Jermain Defoe – 7. It may have been a quiet day in front of goal for the veteran striker but the 33-year-old certainly put a shift in. He battled for the ball well and showed great movement, unlucky not to score.
Rodwell responds well from the bench
Jack Rodwell – 7. The £10million signing from Manchester City has failed to make an impact at Sunderland so far but the fans will be singing his praises after today’s shift, if he can build his match-fitness. The midfielder appeared sluggish at first but delved into the game well and helped keep United at bay. He put in an excellent block to prevent United from going ahead.
Fabio Borini – 6. The Italian will be disappointed having missed last week’s game against Liverpool due to illness but the summer signing certainly looks determined to prove his worth. The striker showed some great touches and worked tirelessly.
Ola Toivonen – 5. The Swede didn’t really have time to make an impact but put in a good five minute shift to help make a few clearances.