It was a better game than what we have seen for the last month, though it isn't still good enough. It was an average and boring performance, and we have been lucky to come out with the three points, Sunderland could have easely equalised (and rightly so). At no moment in the game I had the feeling that we were head and shoulders above our opponent. We sure had the best possession, although it was most of the time a sterile possession, we were mainly doing side pass and back pass, without ever creating a real threat on their goal for few minutes in a row. The tempo was quite slow, and it never seemed we could raise it dramatically. Even though we have get an early goal, once again we have started the game in a slow way (as if it was a training), and once again we seem to be more than likely to concede a goal in the ten last minutes. To sum up, it was once again an uninspired performance. Some thoughts on individual performances. Mata was looking really tired. It is a necessity to find a creative player to allow him to get a well deserved rest, otherwise we'll have to keep playing him and it won't do any good neither for the team nor for himself. We should never play again Ramires on the wing. At the exception of the pace and the speed, he hasn't the abilities to play there. Furthermore, he seems to have the tendency to come back in the midfield, so our right wing is often abandonned. Plus, he is at the moment our best midfielder, and without him the midfield is disfunctional, so he should be played here and only here. Luiz was very good and has saved/intercepted a lots of balls, it is a shame that people only focus on only one mistake. Meireles, what can I say... Really a poor game. He has made a lots of mistakes, a lots of mis-controls and bad passes. He was also poor in defense. Essien, I am happy to see him anew, I liked his movements, and the lack of fitness was noticable. I'll wait a few games to judge him.