Sunderland slipped out of the play-off places as they suffered a shock defeat against relegation strugglers Rotherham United at the New York Stadium. The Black Cats turned in a poor first-half performance and trailed at half-time after Ollie Rathbone gave the hosts the lead inside 20 minutes.
And it got worse for Tony Mowbray's men in the second half when Shane Ferguson added the second goal for the Millers ten minutes after the restart. On-loan Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt opened his account for the club when he pulled a goal back just after the hour, but Sunderland could not force an equaliser.
The defeat ended Sunderland's five-game unbeaten run in the league, and it meant they dropped to eighth in the table, a point outside the play-off spots. Rotherham's victory ended their five-game winless streak, and they moved up one place to fifth-bottom.
READ MORE: Sunderland play-off hopes suffer knock after defeat at Rotherham despite Joe Gelhardt goal
Here's how our Sunderland AFC writer James Hunter rated the players.
Anthony Patterson 6
Looked comfortable taking crosses, but just couldn't stretch enough to reach either of Rotherham's goals
Luke O'Nien 7
Played at right-back and stuck to his task, also providing the cross for Gelhardt's goal
Danny Batth 6
Strong at the back for the hour he was on the pitch
Dan Ballard 7
Battled away against Hugill and also offered a threat from set-pieces in the Rotherham box
Dennis Cirkin 6
Worked hard but it was a tough night for him
Amad 5
Not at his best, and looked a little jaded
Edouard Michut 5
Should have done much better for the opening goal, but failed to put a challenge in on Rathbone
Dan Neil 6
Did OK, but has had much better games than this
Alex Pritchard 6
Brought a fine save out of Johansson in the first half and his set-piece delivery was dangerous
Joe Gelhardt 7
Off the mark, and had chances to score more. Looked sharp and hungry. A very promising performance
Jack Clarke 6
Offered more of a threat when he moved to the left flank for the second half
Subs
Patrick Roberts 7
For Michut 63mins. Made a real difference when he came on, causing real problems
Trai Hume 6
For Batth 63mins. A strong performance in the final half-hour
Aji Alese 7
For Cirkin 63mins. Gave the side more physical presence
Abdoullah Ba N/A
For Pritchard 85mins.
Jewison Bennette N/A
For Clarke 85mins.
Not used: Bass, Ekwah
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- Sunderland injury update for Rotherham United trip as Tony Mowbray promises changes
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