Luke O’Nien nightmare, Chemsdine Talbi anonymous – Sunderland player ratings vs Port Vale
Sunderland were knocked out in the FA Cup fifth round by League One strugglers Port Vale with a 1-0 loss at Vale Park on Sunday.
After Sunderland beat Leeds 1-0 in the Premier League on Tuesday, hopes were high of progressing to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
But Regis Le Bris‘ side didn’t look comfortable on the bobbly, muddy pitch, even though Eliezer Mayenda nearly gave Sunderland an early lead when his header hit the post.
A cup upset started when Ben Waine’s header looped past goalkeeper Melker Ellborg in the 28th minute, who many believe should have been sent off later.
Nilson Angulo missed a gilt-edged chance late on for the visitors as the Stadium of Light outfit suffered a humbling FA Cup loss to League One’s basement side.
Luke O’Nien’s big Sunderland let-off
Luke O’Nien has become a modern Sunderland legend after guiding the side from League One to the Premier League in recent years.
But with their rise to the English top-flight, O’Nien has been one of their first-team casualties, with the 31-year-old relegated to the fringes for the vast majority of the campaign.
In only his ninth appearance of the season, O’Nien was deployed at left-back but was very unconvincing in the first half, especially.
Inexplicably, he fired a 35-yard pass back to his goalkeeper, who had to take drastic action to stop the ball from going into his own net.
The January recruit couldn’t handle the ball as it would have been a back pass, so he athletically flung himself backwards and headed over the bar.
He sported a nervy grin after that save, but he wasn’t smiling after the resulting corner as Port Vale scored in what was an entirely avoidable turn of events.
The veteran did make a key block on Hall in the final 10 minutes, but this was a day to forget for him and Sunderland.
Chemsdine Talbi flatters to deceive at Port Vale
Chemsdine Talbi has proven to be a decent acquisition for Sunderland, with the 20-year-old signing for an initial fee of £16.5million last summer.
So far, he has scored three goals and added two assists this season, as Sunderland look set to secure their Premier League safety with games to spare.
However, against the English third-tier outfit, Talbi was quite anonymous. He wasn’t the only one, but the winger didn’t seem to relish the opportunity to play on a pitch like this.
Talbi made way in the second half after an appearance that is unlikely to lead to much more game time in the coming weeks.
Sunderland player ratings vs Port Vale
Melker Ellborg – 5
Lutsharel Geertruida – 5
Daniel Ballard – 6
Omar Alderete – 5
Luke O’Nien – 3
Habib Diarra – 5
Enzo Le Fee – 4
Chris Rigg – 4
Nilson Angulo – 6
Chemsdine Talbi – 4
Eliezer Mayenda – 5
Substitutes:
Wilson Isidor – 5
Granit Xhaka – 5
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