Sunderland boss Lee Johnson has told Chronicle Live that his side's identity shone through in their 2-1 victory over Manchester United under-21s last night. 

The Black Cats eventually prevailed in the Papa John's Trophy group game, with some of their younger stars helping the hosts to take maximum points against a plucky United side.

Goals from Tyrese Dyce and the impressive Stephen Wearne earnt them the victory, with several individuals putting in good performances at the Stadium of Light as part of a side that featured Denver Hume as their most experienced player.

Now Johnson has praised his side for sticking to their tactical plan, as he stated the following after the match:

"We pressed like a Sunderland side tonight, you'd see that that was how we play if you have been watching our games. 

"That's credit to the coaching, the coaches, the players, and the way they retain information.

"It shows that we are starting to build that identity, and for me the win was the cherry on top of the cake."

Sunderland have started the season in exceptional form across various competitions and will be hoping it continues over the coming months as we head towards the busy winter period.

The Black Cats are back in Sky Bet League One action this weekend as they travel to Priestfield to take on Gillingham on Saturday afternoon.

The Verdict 

Given the amount of changes that were made to the team last night, it is testament to Johnson and his staff that their side picked up such a good victory.

They had to defend well for long periods against what was a half decent United side but in the end they showed the resolve required to get the job done.

With their first choice eleven now set to come back into the fold for their trip to Gillingham, the hope will be that they can pick up a good result on the road.

This Sunderland side is underlining that they have quality throughout and that is certainly a nice headache for Johnson to have moving forwards.