Bristol City player ratings vs Sunderland: 'Unforgiving' defender scores 8/10 and key man inspires in victory

Bristol City ended their four-game winless run with a 1–0 win over EFL Championship rivals Sunderland at Ashton Gate on Saturday.

Tommy Conway’s penalty gave the hosts the lead at the break, as Alex Pritchard twice struck the crossbar for the away side.

The Black Cats came close through Luke O’Nien and Jobe Bellingham in the second period, but couldn’t force an equalising goal.

The result sees City move up one place into 14th, six points off the play-off positions.

Here's how the Robins fared...

Player ratings:

Max O’Leary – 8

Was left scrambling when Alex Pritchard’s corner bounced off the crossbar but reacted well when George Tanner’s clearance bounced off Pritchard and towards goal from inside the six-yard box later on in the first half.

Spilled Pierre Ekwah’s early effort in the second period which led to a succession of corners but made up for that with an excellent claw off the goal line to stop Luke O’Nien from equalising and again from Jobe Bellingham. Showed great bravery coming for crosses and was a key figure.

George Tanner – 7

Was aggressive in the tackle and looked comfortable at right back. Was doubled up on a couple of times but never looked in real trouble. Could’ve cleared a loose ball in the area better but O’Leary spared his blushes and did so again in the second period after Abdoullah Ba broke free.

Zak Vyner – 7

Was comfortable with the ball at his feet and made very few errors defensively. Found it challenging up against a few nimble attackers but coped well overall and stuck to his duties strongly.

Rob Dickie – 7

Had a couple of rocky moments early on but recovered well. Like Vyner, found Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke tough to deal with at times and was booked for a foul on Trai Hume when the left-back skipped past him high up the pitch.

Cam Pring – 8

Got beaten a couple of times by Roberts but was solid overall and made a vital block from the midfielder in the latter stages of the match. Instructed Mehmeti well on when to press and who to mark and was unforgiving in the air.

Matty James – 7

Grew into the game and played his usual role of keeping the ball moving. Got skipped past a couple of times in the middle but was an important figure in midfield.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman – 8

Was highly composed and confident with the ball at his feet and almost scored a brilliant long-range goal. Like James, had a few tricky moments off the ball but reacted excellently to get a foot on the loose ball in the box when Patterson brought him down for City’s first goal.

Jason Knight – 7

Worked hard and brilliantly pressed to intercept Patterson’s pass in the lead-up to the Robins’ penalty. Popped up all over the pitch and was a headache for the away midfield.

Mark Sykes – 7

Was first to react to a loose pass in the Sunderland box but wasn’t awarded a penalty kick. Didn’t have as much of the ball as usual on the right wing but worked tirelessly and got his team up the pitch when under pressure.

Tommy Conway – 7

Converted his penalty brilliantly to send Patterson diving in the wrong direction and worked extremely hard up top when a lonely figure at times. A big performance from the Scot.

Anis Mehmeti – 7

Grew into the game on his first start in six matches and showed some brilliant footwork when cutting in from the left wing and firing against the post. Had glimpses of brilliance and justified his inclusion in the starting line-up.

Joe Williams (on for James, 70’) – 6

Was immediately cautioned for a hard challenge on Daniel Neil. Came on to sure things up in the middle.

Andi Weimann (on for Mehmeti, 70’) – 6

Worked hard on the left flank to try and nullify Roberts' threat.

Harry Cornick (on for Conway, 76’) – 6

Had a glorious chance to kill the game off when through one-against-one with Patterson, went down under O'Nien's challenge but nothing was given.

Sam Bell (on for Sykes, 81’) – N/A