Former Cats favourites return and possible new role for Alves
Leon Dajaku’s celebration set the tone for a memorable night at the Stadium of Light.
The German winger had just played a well-weighted pass through to Ross Stewart, sending the striker through on goal.
Without hesitation, the Scottish frontman side-footed the ball past Sheffield Wednesday goal keeper Bailey Peacock Farrell with his supposedly weaker left foot.
It was the first of five for the Black Cats during are sounding win which sent them top of the League One table.
Dajaku’s reaction after registering another assist, he has now racked up four in four games, was just as passionate as home supporters.
The German wing er turned to the bench and punched the air with both arms in the direction of Lee Johnson and his coaching staff. The celebrations had only just begun.
While the Black Cats boss said after the match there is still a lot of work to do, this was another sign of the spirit and confidence which has been building over recent weeks.
Stewart moves to the top of the scoring charts
Three more goals moved Stewart onto 15 for the campaign, making him the top scorer in League One at the turn of the year.
This could be considered the perfect hat-trick for the Scot, scoring once with his right foot, once with his left and once with his head.
With a lack of senior alternatives, the Black Cats will desperately need to keep Stewart fit as they look to add more options in January.
Evans and Leadbitter watch from the stands
A large crowd of 34,652 were present to watch the match, while there were some notable spectators.
Former Sunderland defender Jonny Evans was spotted at the Stadium of Light, with his brother Corry captaining the Black Cats.
Jonny has been out with an injury at Leicester but was able to watch his brother complete 90 minutes in the engine room.
Former Sunderland captain Grant Leadbitter was also in attendance to watch his boy hood club go top of the table.
Traffic incident causes away fans to miss the match
Despite the result, Wednesdaywere well backed on Wear side.
It was expected to be a sellout away crowd, yet a serious crash on the A1(M) caused significant delays.
That meant several Owls fans took the decision to turn around and miss the fixture, with some reports claiming passengers were delayed by 3-4 hours.
A new role for Alves
After missing the trip to Arsenal in the Car abaoCupf or‘ a lack of discipline in training,’ West Ham loanee Frederik Alves returned to action here.
The 22-year-old came off the bench to replace Dajaku in the 80th minute and was given an unusual role as in the centre of midfield.
Johnson has previously said Alve scan play in mid field, yet it was surprising how offensive the Dane’s position was.
A tone point Alvess et up ElliotEmbl et on inside the penalty area for a late chance which would have made it 6-0.
There appears to be a strong chance that Alvesw ill return to West Ham in January due to his shortage of game time, yet Sunderland’ s lack of options may delay things.
With the scoreline so comfortable, it was easy for Johnson to experiment.