Player Ratings & Comments: Midfielder ran the show as Sunderland bounce back with impressive away win

Oxford posed a totally different threat, and to their credit tried to play football against us to decent effect after a first half they probably edged. However, that all changed after the interval with a rejuvenated Sunderland side.

Luke O'Nien and substitute Lynden Gooch scored the goals, the latter an impressive solo effort which must give him a good chance of starting against Peterborough new week, bu the most impactful players on the pitch were Grant Leadbitter and the imperious Bailey Wright. It was reassuring to see such a dominant performance from the centre back - who could have had a goal himself early in the opening 45 after his header crashed against the crossbar - particularly after a poor show last week.

The selection of Leadbitter raised many eyebrows of those looking for Josh Scowen in the starting line up, but the decision proved shrewd from Phil Parkinson as the club captain was typically calm and assured on the ball, allowing his teammates to move around and get into space. Chris Maguire also put in a much improved performance and the ever impressive Jordan Willis also deserves a mention.

Ultimately four points from our opening two fixtures is a good return. Below is your chance to let us know what you think, the ratings will go towards crowning our man of the match and player of the month / season - so it is definitely worth getting involved! We'll use any comments left for future content around the game and players themselves.