A LOOK at the key perfomances from the game against Sunderland.
FRIEDEL: Kept Rovers in the game with a couple of outstanding saves to cap an impressive display...7 NEILL: A sound debut from the former Millwall man. Solid defensively and always willing to get forward...7 BJORNEBYE: An accomplished defensive performance but his distribution occasionally let him down...6 BERG: Kept a tight rein on Kevin Phillips but had problems coping with the aerial threat of Niall Quinn...7 TAYLOR: Calm and composed at the back after being thrust into the team as a replacement for the suspended Craig Short...7 FLITCROFT: Another combative display from the all-action skipper in what developed into a midfield scrap...7 MAHON: A busy performance from the young Irishman who worked his socks off the sake of the team...6 GILLESPIE: Wasn't given enough quality service down the right but looked dangerous in patches...6 JANSEN: Showed some neat touches but looked hesitant in front of goal at times...7 BENT: Buzzed about upfront after being handed his first start of the new campaign but starved of quality service...6 DUFF: Looked threatening with the ball at his feet but his team-mates struggled to get him into the game...6
SUBS:
TUGAY: Looked a class act when he came on, never wasting a pass...7
HUGHES: Ruffled a few feathers up front...6
MCATEER: Had little time to make an impact...6
OPPOSITION CAMP:
SORENSEN...Got to admire his courage 7
HAAS...Steady away on the right 6
GRAY...Neat and tidy at the back 7
CRADDOCK...Survived penalty appeal 7
MCCARTNEY...A man with a big future 7
MCANN...Workmanlike in midfield. 6
SCHWARTZ...Supplied cross for goal 7
RAE...Busy without being very effective 7
ARCA...Flattered to deceive 6
PHILLIPS...Tested Friedel 7
LASLANDES...Struggling in England 5
SUBS:
QUINN...No substitute for experience 8
KILBANE...Struggled to pick up the pace 6
STATS:
Goal attempts: Rovers 11 Sunderland 12
Shots on target: Rovers 4 Sunderland 4
Woodwork: Rovers 0 Sunderland 0
Offsides: Rovers 2 Sunderland 1
Corners: Rovers 10 Sunderland 4
Free kicks: Rovers 13 Sunderland 11
REFEREE... Mike Dean 5
ATTENDANCE...45,103 BOOKINGS: Rovers -- Gillespie (foul), Berg (dissent), Hughes (dissent) Sunderland -- McCartney (dissent), Arca (foul)
SENDINGS OFF: None
TIME FOR ACTION:
14Alex Rae fires over after Damien Duff is dispossessed in midfield
29Bernt Haas gives the ball away to Matt Jansen but his shot is comfortably saved
37Rovers are sliced open by a slick moving involving Haas and Rae but Lilian Laslandes fires wide
42Marcus Bent misses Rovers' best chance of the first half when he heads over from an Alan Mahon cross
46Keith Gillespie nearly silences the home fans but he blazes over after great work from Duff
55A mix-up between Lucas Neill and Henning Berg presents Laslandes with another opening but he fails to hit the target
68Kevin Phillips pounces on a loose header but Brad Friedel saves
73A clever move involving Tugay and Garry Flitcroft fashions an opening for Matt Jansen but his shot is deflected wide
74Friedel saves the day again with another stop from Schwartz
80Rovers can't believe their luck as Duff's shot flashes wide
81It's 1-0 as Niall Quinn rises to meet a Schwartz cross
84Sorensen denies Jansen with his legs before Tugay's follow up is then deflected over
88Quinn performs heroics again this time popping up to head a Jansen effort off the line
TACTICS:
Both managers went 4-4-2 and this game quickly developed into a midfield battle with neither side managing to get the ball down and play in tricky conditions KEY MOMENT : Damien Duff's shot flashes across the goal. Within 60 seconds Rovers were a goal down.
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