Sunderland were thumped 5-1 at home to Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Monday afternoon.
Sunderland returned to the Stadium of Light on Easter Monday where they hosted a struggling Blackburn Rovers side.
Last time out, Mike Dodds claimed his first win as interim boss, watching his side win 2-0 at Cardiff City to end a seven-game winless run in the Championship.
And the Black Cats started positively against Blackburn Rovers.
But the Championship‘s top scorer Sammie Szmodics quickly burst into life and gave the visiting Rovers an unexpected 2-0 lead at the break.
Boos rung around the Stadium of Light, and they did again when Blackburn added a third goal shortly after the restart.
Rovers would go on to score five, with Chris Rigg scoring a consolation in the second half.
Sunderland 1-5 Blackburn Rovers as Mike Dodds suffers another loss
Dodds saw the likes of Patrick Roberts return to the side today, with Jack Clarke on the bench.
But the returning players couldn’t help their side improve on that positive win at Cardiff on what was a hugely forgettable afternoon for the Black Cats.
A few players failed to impress; Roberts was among those who struggled, along with the likes of Dan Neil.
But one player seemed to stand out more than most as having a particularly poor game; Pierre Ekwah.
Sunderland Echo journalist James Copley had this to say on the Frenchman’s performance on Monday afternoon:
As per Sofascore, Ekwah won 7 out of 12 duels against Blackburn, but lost possession 9 times, with 36 passes out of 44 completed (82%), 3 tackles, and 2 interceptions.
Pierre Ekwah in the Championship this season
Last time round, the 22-year-old Ekwah really shone.
He joined from West Ham in the January and steadily worked his way into the starting XI, showing in 16 Championship outings what he can do.
At his best, Ekwah is an untouchable midfielder who loves to get on the ball, burst forward and pick out passes.
But his main criticism has always been his lax work-rate and it’s led to allegations that Ekwah has been the most disappointing player in the entire Championship this season.
And he certainly struggled today.
For the third goal in particular, Ekwah seemed to show a lack of urgency, whilst it also appears that the Neil-Ekwah partnership in midfield has had its peak.
The partnership just doesn’t offer enough at either end of the pitch and so the conundrum regarding Ekwah continues.
And the same can be said of Sunderland who’ve taken steps forwards and backwards this season, with Monday’s result being a huge step back.
Sunderland host Bristol City in the Championship this weekend.