Sunderland could not find a winning goal as they were held to a goalless draw by Preston at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats were looking to complete back-to-back home wins, having won 3-0 against Rotherham United last time out on Wearside.
But against the Championship's tightest defence they found it difficult to carve out clear goalscoring chances and managed only two efforts on target all game. At the other end, they kept a clean sheet against a Preston side that remains the division's lowest scorers - although they needed one fine save from Anthony Patterson and goalline clearances from Aji Alese and Lynden Gooch to complete the shutout.
Sunderland were sixth in the table going into the game but slipped one place to seventh.
And next up for Tony Mowbray's men is another home test against Blackpool on Tuesday night.
READ MORE: Strikerless Black Cats held by goalless draw specialists: Sunderland 0-0 Preston report
Here's how our Sunderland AFC writer James Hunter rated the players.
Anthony Patterson 7
Made one excellent stop from Evans in the second half
Luke O'Nien 7
Solid in central defence
Danny Batth 6
Sunderland needed his physical presence to go up against Preston's frontmen
Aji Alese 8
Excellent in defence and broke forward at every opportunity
Lynden Gooch 6
Did OK at right-back and made a crucial goalline clearance from Storey
Corry Evans 6
Brought the knowhow that Sunderland needed but was withdrawn after an hour
Dan Neil 6
Worked hard but did not stand out
Jack Clarke 7
Offered a real attacking threat down the left flank and it caused Preston problems
Patrick Roberts 7
Showed flashes of skill but just could not find a finish
Elliot Embleton 7
A lively presence in and around the box
Alex Pritchard 6
Played the false nine role and saw plenty of the ball but could not find a killer pass
Subs
Abdoullah Ba 6
For Evans 60mins. Neat and tidy when he came on
Amad Diallo 6
For Embleton 60mins. Brought an injection of energy in the final third
Jewison Bennette 6
For Pritchard 70mins. His pace was a headache for Preston
Leon Dajaku N/A
For Clarke 81mins.
Not used: Bass, Matete, Wright
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