'Immense!' - Tony Mowbray delivers verdict on unsung Sunderland duo

Amad Diallo took most of the plaudits after Sunderland's win at Birmingham, but two other players earned the head coach's praise.

Tony Mowbray paid tribute to Anthony Patterson and Danny Batth after Sunderland had to ‘dig in’ to beat Birmingham at St Andrews.

Amad Diallo put in a virtuoso performance for the Black Cats, making Ellis Simms’ opener before scoring a brilliant winner himself in the 2-1 win.

However, while Amad rightly took the plaudits for his attacking contribution, Mowbray was keen to credit Batth and Patterson too.

"We found a way to see it out,” Mowbray told the press after the game. “The blocking late on when it was ricocheting around our box, and [Anthony] Patterson again made an amazing save - with his nose, he said, right in his face.

"Danny Batth was immense tonight in heading the first ball. When he was needed, he stood up. They all put a shift in and you have to do that.

Mowbray also credited Patterson in his post-match interview with Sky Sports, saying: “[He] is an amazing goalkeeper for such a young boy - he is brilliant, brilliant temperament.”

"I think this season we've scored some amazing goals and played some lovely football and dominated possession of a football match.

"Generally we haven't got the rewards that we feel that we deserved. Possibly because we were without strikers, but today was an other side of the coin having to dig in particularly late on there.

"We know how - not direct they are - they're 23rd for possession I think you said before the game, that they're not really bothered about possession. They get the ball in your half and ask questions of you.

"We were hanging on a little bit but brilliant that people were putting their bodies on the lines.”