Sunderland AFC talking points: Ex-West Ham midfielder a rising star as Amad gamble pays off

Sunderland climbed to fifth in the Championship table with a superb 3-0 win away at QPR.
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Mowbray rotated his side and though it was far from a vintage performance, Sunderland were in the end comfortable winners.We take a look at some key talking points ahead of Bristol City's visit to the Stadium of Light.

Rest and rotate pays off for Sunderland

Though it was no surprise that Mowbray rotated his options in midfield, he had heavily hinted at doing so before the game, there was some concern that Edouard Michut was not in the squad at all.

Jack Clarke celebrates with Pierre EkwahJack Clarke celebrates with Pierre Ekwah
Jack Clarke celebrates with Pierre Ekwah
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However, Mowbray explained afterwards that he was keen to give the young midfielder a rest, having playing four games in ten days for the first time in his career.

Given that he was able to name two midfielders on the bench, he felt he could give the Frenchman a total rest - rather than making him travel South again.

Expect the Neil-Michut partnership to be reprised against Bristol City on Saturday afternoon.

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Knocking on the door

Aji Alese had a good first half, breaking forward whenever possible to offer some width while Jack Clarke was playing infield as a second striker.

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With Abdoullah Ba playing on the left wing but drifting infield when Sunderland had possession, he also had a lot of defensive responsibility.

Alese has had a hectic schedule since returning from injury ahead of schedule to help his team and so it was perhaps no major surprise that he looked tired in the second half, even away from the handball that almost allowed QPR back into the game.

The introduction of Dennis Cirkin was perfectly timed, with the left back playing a big role in the second goal as he intercepted then drove into space. As he had done against Millwall, the defender looked fresh and ready to make an impact.

It's no slight on Alese, who is having a brilliant debut campaign, to say that it looks the time has come for a bit of rotation in this position.

Rising star for Sunderland

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Mowbray's substitutions throughout the second half made a significant impact, but you would expect that from three key players in the squad (Amad, Neil, Cirkin).

It was hugely encouraging to see Pierre Ekwah be similarly effective. The hosts had started to dominate either side of Anthony Patterson's brilliant penalty save, but alongside Neil the former West Ham youngster began to win challenges on a regular basis.

That left QPR hugely exposed to the counter, and he regularly moved the ball quickly into dangerous areas. That led to the third goal, an excellent team effort even if the home defence by this point were clearly all but beaten.

It might be a little while yet before he starts regularly but Ekwah is increasingly showing himself to be a player Mowbray can trust to do the job.

Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland gamble pays off

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It was a big risk to leave Amad out the starting XI - but it was one Mowbray felt he had to make.

The winger had up until last Wednesday barely missed a minute of football since the World Cup break, and it was beginning to show. He thrived in an impact substitute role here, and will almost certainly be back in the XI come Saturday.