Omar Alderete quality prevails for Sunderland despite Brighton defeat
Omar Alderete was back to his best, but it was not enough to prevent Sunderland from falling to defeat at home to Brighton.
The Black Cats suffered a third consecutive home defeat on Saturday, this time at the hands of Brighton and Yankuba Minteh.
Regis Le Bris was without a whole host of first-team players through injury, but his side were still able to put in a performance that arguably deserved something from the game.
And among those players who certainly showcased their worth against the Seagulls was Alderete, who very much looked to be back to his best.
How did Omar Alderete fare against Brighton?
The Paraguayan defender has been known for his robust style of defending, but his technical game levelled up against the Seagulls.
Alderete was responsible for several line-breaking passes, with a 76 per cent pass accuracy throughout the encounter from his 54 attempted passes.
Added to that, the 29-year-old hit the target with both of his shots, forcing two of Bart Verbruggen’s three saves at the Stadium of Light.
As demonstrated via his Sofascore graphic below, Alderete also did the work defensively, with five duels won out of seven, and four clearances made.
One of those was a headed clearance, with Brighton playing a lot of their football on the ground.
He did his job on the day, but the same cannot be said for many of the players in front of him, which has been a theme this season.
Habib Diarra failing to prove worth to Sunderland
Given the money that was paid to sign him, Habib Diarra arrived on Wearside with exceptionally high expectations, and as of yet, he has not lived up to them.
And that was again the case against Brighton, when he failed to offer anything going forward, despite that having been his biggest strength at Strasbourg prior to his transfer.
He was weak in the duel, as showcased by the fact that he won just one of his seven, while his final product was also non-existent.
With a Tyne-Wear derby up next for Sunderland, they will need to name a starting 11 of players in form, and for Diarra, he will find himself lucky to be among them.
As for who could replace him, that will come down to which players can make their return from injury, with Enzo Le Fee having missed out at the weekend.
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