Sunderland player ratings v Sevilla – Habib Diarra shines as 4/10 frustrates
Sunderland continued their unbeaten run in pre-season with a 1-1 draw against Sevilla.
Having won both of their pre-season games prior, Sunderland were looking to make it three from three against the La Liga giants, but failed to do so.
Several new arrivals were handed their first minutes for the Black Cats, with club-record signing Habib Diarra making his second appearance.
Enzo Le Fee opened the scoring for Sunderland on the half-hour mark, in what would prove to be the only goal of the game for the Black Cats, before a last-second strike from Sevilla saw the game finish 1-1.
Diarra shines for Sunderland
Diarra arrived at the Stadium of Light with plenty of excitement, mainly because of the £30million transfer fee that was required to seal his arrival.
Although it is still early days, the signs are already very promising, with the Senagalese international covering every blade of grass against Sevilla.
His passing was tidy, and he was constantly looking for a route in behind the defence, something which has been missing from the Sunderland midfield.
Full of energy and always looking for the ball, Sunderland look to have found a real gem with this transfer.
Talbi struggled to get going v Sevilla
It was a strange display for Talbi, who looked bright, but seemed somewhat reluctant to take the risks that had earned him the reputation he has.
| Chemsdine Talbi | Stats (Belgian Pro League 2024/25 season) |
| Appearences | 27 |
| Starts | 12 |
| Goals | 5 |
| Assists | 3 |
Some positive signs were there, but on more than one occasion, he looked to turn back and play it safe as opposed to using his blistering pace and trickery to beat his defender.
With that said, that was the first 45 minutes he has played in his new colours, so there is still a lot more to come from the Moroccan.
Sunderland player ratings
Simon Moore – 7
Trai Hume – 7
Dan Ballard – 7
Jenson Seelt – 6
Niall Huggins – 6
Noah Sadiki – 7
Habib Diarra – 8
Enzo Le Fee – 7
Chemsdine Talbi – 4
Simon Adingra – 5
Eliezer Mayenda – 5
Subs (Half time*)
*Jenson Jones – 7
*Zak Johnson – 6
*Tom Lavery – 6
*Harrison Jones – 5
*Patrick Roberts – 5
*Dan Neil – 6
*Alan Browne – 5
*Milan Aleksic – 4
*Wilson Isidor – 5
*Ahmed Abdullahi – 5
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