Sunderland extended their unbeaten run in League One to 10 matches as they held Plymouth to a 0-0 draw away from home on Monday.

They had the chance to move above Steven Schumacher's side with a win but failed to make the breakthrough in an attritional match as they played for the second time in four days.

Neither side came particularly close to scoring as both goalkeepers enjoyed relatively simple afternoons with both attacks failing to catch fire.

The result leaves Sunderland sixth in the table as it stands and six points off the automatic promotion places, with it now being almost mathematically impossible for them to finish in the top two.

Nathan Broadhead was the brightest spark in the final third for Alex Neil's side. The Welshman, as per SofaScore, completed four of his six dribbles, won seven individual duels and managed one shot on target as he showed flashes of quality throughout the game.

However, his striking partner flopped badly against Plymouth. Ross Stewart continued his struggles in front of goal as he was unable to showcase his true ability in the match.

The £2.7k-per-week gem has now gone nine games without a goal from open play in League One and eight games without a goal by any means.

In possession, he failed to make the most of the opportunities that came his way. Elliot Embleton clipped a sublime ball over the top to him in the first-half and his poor control meant that the goalkeeper was able to take it off his feet before he could shoot.

As per SofaScore, he only had 27 touches of the ball - fewer than shot-stopper Anthony Patterson (36) - and he only completed 55% of his attempted passes. He was also unable to complete any dribbles and did not manage a single shot on target.

Off the ball, he was a lightweight for Sunderland. As per SofaScore, he lost seven of his eight duels (87.5%) and committed five fouls. This shows that he was outmuscled and outpaced out of possession as Plymouth's defenders got the better of him in the majority of their battles, which meant that he did not provide a focal point at the top end of the pitch.

It was a disappointing display for the Scot and his form is beginning to falter at the worst possible time with games running out and the Black Cats chasing a play-off spot. Hopefully, he can get back to his best sooner rather than later...

AND in other news, Neil must avoid disaster on £1.4k-p/w "young Paul Gascoigne", he's SAFC's biggest hope...