Ruthless with Ross Stewart; toothless without him. Sunderland's reliance on the man Tony Mowbray described as the team's 'talisman' was underlined in their defeat at Middlesbrough.
Stewart had struck twice against Rotherham United six days earlier to help new head coach Mowbray's reign get off to a winning start at the Stadium of Light. So when news came through that the club's most potent attacking weapon had picked up a thigh injury in the warm-up at the Riverside Stadium and had pulled out of the game, it was a huge blow.
Sunderland are now waiting on a scan to discover the extent of Stewart's injury, with Mowbray saying the Scot could be out for anywhere between two weeks and two months depending on the severity. The question is: how well will Sunderland cope without him?
