Elliott Dickman reserved special praise for an inspired Max Stryjek as Sunderland under-23s reached their first European final.
While an early error against Norwich City on Friday could’ve seen the Polish stopper sent for an early bath, Stryjek atoned for his handball outside the area by producing a string of fine stops.
Joel Asoro handed the Black Cats the all-important, and what proved to be decisive, goal with just 13 minutes played, calmly slotting home Rees Greenwood’s threaded pass.
But Stryjek was the man or the hour, diving to his left side to prevent Glenn Middleton levelling the tie 20 minutes later from the penalty spot before further saves in the second period helped seal the Black Cats’ place in the Premier League International Cup final.
Speaking to safc.com, Dickman highlighted Stryjek’s performance, admitting he was delighted with the youngster’s efforts.
“The penalty save is a good save and he made a couple of stops in the second half so fair play to him,” he said.
“He kept us in the game with his stops.
“At one point I was thinking he might have been sent off for the decision he made to come off his line.
“We got the rub of the green from the referee on that particular occasion and in the end he made some terrific saves which have helped us go through to the final.”