A number of Sunderland supporters have been hailing Luke O’Nien following the versatile defender’s highly influential performance during the Black Cats’ vital 2-0 win at Portsmouth on Tuesday.

Lee Johnson’s side were looking to keep their recent momentum going against a Portsmouth side who have been heading in the other direction of late. Sunderland took advantage of their chances and also defended very well at times to come away with a massive win that keeps them well in the mix for the automatic promotion places.

One player whose performance was influential in terms of them keeping their opponents quiet was O’Nien, with the defender alongside Dion Sanderson making it a real challenge for Portsmouth to break down the Black Cats and take advantage when they had spells of pressure. The 26-year-old continued to show his quality as a centre-back.

O’Nien managed to win nine out of the ten aerial duels that he competed and also won two ground duels as well as making six clearances (Sofascore). That shows that he was very commanding against the presence of two Portsmouth forwards throughout the game and did not allow them to get many chances on goal from crosses into the box.

Many Sunderland fans hailed his performance and were quick to praise him for the consistency he has shown throughout the campaign so far.

Here, we take a look at some of the best reactions on social media…