Dan Neil's Sunderland teammates will rally around the young midfielder following his red card against Sheffield United, according to Lynden Gooch. Academy product Neil collected the first red card of his career when he was sent off for a professional foul on the half-hour against the Blades at Bramall Lane having held back James McAtee after giving the ball away to the on-loan Manchester City man.
That left the Black Cats needing to play for an hour shorthanded, and things went from bad to worse when Sheffield United took the lead almost immediately after the 20-year-old's exit. The Blades added a second goal at the start of the second half before Gooch halved the deficit, but Sunderland could not force an equaliser and instead saw their unbeaten start to the Championship campaign come to an end.
Sunderland had started well and the red card was the turning point, and to compound Neil's misery he will now sit out this weekend's trip to Stoke City due to suspension. "I thought we were controlling the game and looked more threatening," said Gooch of the opening half-hour against Sheffield.
