Imagine him & Roberts: Beale’s “sensational” £6.5k-p/w Sunderland gem now has to start…

A heroic Plymouth Argyle squad was defeated by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the second half thanks to goals from replacement Jobe Bellingham and players Pierre Ekwah and Jack Clarke.

After Bellingham’s spectacular shot off the post, the score was 3-1, guaranteeing the Black Cats a position in the Championship playoffs at the end of the day.

Naturally, Bellingham should return to the starting lineup for Sunderland’s Valentine’s Day away match against Huddersfield Town after Michael Beale’s game-winning goal.

However, Patrick Roberts, another attacker who will hopefully be on the roster again against the Terriers, was just as brilliant as Bellingham in the Pilgrims’ victory.

Patrick Roberts’ game vs Plymouth in numbers

Due to injury issues, Roberts took full advantage of the chance to be back in Beale’s starting lineup for this match, starting his first since Boxing Day.

In the end, the resounding victory, the former Celtic star picked up just his second assist of the year, moving the ball across the floor for Pierre Ekwah to score a deftly executed free-kick past the unfortunate Argyle goalkeeper.

Roberts only made two mistakes throughout the entire game, which gave him the opportunity to contribute to the equalizing goal. He also completed three crucial passes overall, acting as a creative force against a Plymouth defense that got increasingly vulnerable as the home team started to smell blood.

The 27-year-old winger represents a seasoned head in attack now, especially with Alex Pritchard departing for Birmingham City in the recently closed transfer window. Could Beale utilise this experience effectively between now and the end of the season, in the pursuit of promotion glory?

The Sunderland boss will, however, want to start Bellingham as well versus Huddersfield – adding in even more youthful exuberance to his already talented Black Cats XI, the 18-year-old sensation crucial in the promotion hopefuls getting over line against the visitors from Devon.

Jobe Bellingham’s game vs Plymouth in numbers

With barely 25 minutes remaining on the field, it’s safe to say that the young talent made an impression.

After making a significant cameo at the weekend, Bellingham replaced the inconsistent Abdoullah Ba, who has shown flashes of his brilliance for Sunderland this season. Bellingham may be seen as the more dependable offensive option.

It would take just two minutes overall for Bellingham to score his “sensational” goal, as reporter Josh Bunting put it, taking on many Plymouth shirts who all took a step back before letting the young phenom score.

Spurred on by Clarke’s brilliant goal, which gave Sunderland the narrow 2-1 victory that day, Bellingham will be expecting to start the next game after such a significant contribution.

The dynamic Black Cats number seven, who was once referred to as “integral” to Sunderland by Carlton Palmer, only misplaced one of his fifteen passes on the Stadium of Light grass. He also contributed by winning two ground duels in addition to his elegant showing.

Bellingham and Roberts are both £6.5k a week, so Beale will be happy with what he saw from his teenage asset and may even start both of them against Huddersfield.

After conceding five goals to Southampton over the weekend, Sunderland will be hoping to further expose the weaknesses in the West Yorkshire team’s defense on Wednesday night in order to win two straight games.