Sunderland suffered their first league defeat of the Regis Le Bris era on Saturday.
Sunderland would’ve been one of the most-backed teams in the Championship going into this weekend, if not in the whole Football League.
The Black Cats headed down to Devon to face Plymouth Argyle, taking a perfect record with them.
Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth meanwhile were in 22nd place of the Championship table going into last weekend, compared to Sunderland in first, and were winless in the league.
But Plymouth beat Sunderland 3-2 on the day, coming behind from a Patrick Roberts opener and then getting back in front after a Romaine Mundle equaliser.
There were individual errors throughout the pitch and a couple of unfortunate moments; notably for Dan Ballard who scored an own goal.
Elsewhere, fans have been critical of one or two players, although criticism is quite minimal following what’s still a very strong start to the 2024/25 season.
Marco Gabbiadini questions Anthony Patterson after Plymouth Argyle 3-2 Sunderland
Anthony Patterson is the current no.1 at Sunderland. The academy man is arguably the first name on the team-sheet for Regis Le Bris, but the 24-year-old isn’t immune to criticism.
Last year, Patterson was criticised after a handful of performances, with his questionable distribution often a talking point.
That was evident at times vs Plymouth, with a particular incident seeing Patterson collect the ball but dish is straight back out to a Plymouth player.
BBC pundit and former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini said on Total Sport: “The goalkeeper’s got to be looked at.
“A really stupid clearance that he made… defended well from the winger, got the ball in his hands and threw it straight back to them, and they ended up shooting within two seconds.”
Anthony Patterson may face future battle for Sunderland starting spot
There’s another name at the Stadium of Light who could one day put Patterson’s starting spot in jeopardy; Matty Young.
He’s currently on loan at Salford City and could well become the Black Cats’ no.2 next season.
Or Young could even be thrust into the XI with Premier League interest in Patterson having persisted throughout 2024.
But if Patterson can’t firm up his distribution then he may not get that Premier League move anytime soon.
He remains a solid goalkeeper but like many in the side, against Plymouth in particular he made a couple of poor mistakes.
Le Bris will want to see his players sharpen up for the visit of Middlesbrough this weekend
