They kept a clean sheet.
And after a tough season where we have conceded goals for fun it was quite nice to have at least one more shut out before the end of the season.
I thought all of the back line had a pretty good game. Berra and Stearman battled hard and long, Wardy support the attack and nullified the threat of Seb 'diver' Larsson but most pleasing was the performance of Kevin Foley, returning from injury. He's had a tough season, but today showed what a class footballer he can be. Tidy on the ball, kept McLean quiet and made some important defensive headers.
It was nice to see Anthony Forde get his third Premier League start. He looked lost at times and was shrugged off the ball too much for my liking but there were definitely glimpses of what he can offer. He came close with a good driving effort, which would have done wonders for his confidence had it gone in.
Another youngster David Davis was one of our best players. A bit rash on the ball but strong and powerful in winning it back, which was really nice to see. Next to him in the middle was my man of the match, Karl Henry. Our captain put in a really effective performance. He did what he did best, winning it off a player in dangerous situations, reading a pass or moving the ball on to a wide player. I have a feeling clubs will come in for him in the summer and we will do well to keep him for next season.
No doubt it was a boring game, not helped by Sunderland looking fairly disinterested at the best of times but had Fletcher's header gone in, or SEB tucked away one of his chances then it would have been deserved, and been a job well done.
Hennessey - 7
Foley - 8
Stearman - 7
Berra - 7
Ward - 7
Kightly - 6
Henry - 8
Davis - 7
Forde - 6
Fletcher - 7
SEB - 7
A second away point for Terry Connor, finally, and hopefully we can get some more before the season ends. Hey, maybe we can even end Manchester City's title challenge next? They've only scored ten in their last two games...
I would really like us to see us play 4-5-1 in the game against Man City with Forde and Kightly on the wings, Davis and Henry in the middle, and Jarvis in an attacking midfielder position.
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