Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray believes Jack Clarke put on his best performance since the latter stages of August yesterday afternoon, speaking to the Northern Echo.

The Black Cats were playing Norwich City at Carrow Road yesterday afternoon, with a win potentially keeping their promotion hopes alive after faltering in recent weeks in the absence of key striker Ross Stewart.

It wasn't an easy test for the Wearside outfit though, facing a team that could easily be in the promotion mix at the end of this term and being without the services of the injured Amad Diallo.

But they managed to get themselves over the line at Carrow Road, with Abdoullah Ba's strike in the 15th minute enough for the Black Cats to clinch all three points in Norfolk.

With the visitors finding themselves out of possession for much of the game, players like Patrick Roberts and Clarke couldn't get on the ball too often, something that will have been frustrating for the duo considering they are probably the Lads' most effective attacking players in the absence of Stewart and Diallo.

But Mowbray had nothing but praise for summer signing Clarke, lauding an excellent performance from the ex-Tottenham Hotspur man after the game.

He said: "We found a way and got it done. I thought we worked really hard.

"Roberts has had better games but he worked extraordinarily hard, and that was Jack Clarke's best performance since I've been here.

"He didn't score but his work ethic and ability to ask questions of Max Aarons was so impressive."

The Verdict:

Aarons is an accomplished full-back, so Clarke being able to give him a run for his money just shows how gifted the Black Cats' player is.

These types of games will be crucial in helping him to develop and you just feel this could be a turning point in his career.

Previously seeing his career stall at Tottenham, he will be extremely grateful to have got the chance to shine elsewhere and will also value the fact he's operated in different positions.

His spell as a wing-back will have allowed him to develop the defensive side of his game and that could come in handy in the future.

If he can keep shining and developing, with the player clearly having room to improve still, it wouldn't be a major surprise if he attracts interest from elsewhere in the summer and during future windows.

The Black Cats certainly made the right call to sign him permanently - and the player is repaying the faith placed in him. In the absence of Stewart, he has become even more important for Mowbray than he was before.