Sutton United 0 Walsall 1 - Player ratings

Carl Rushworth

A commanding and composed performance from Rushworth, who handled the ball well and made a few good saves.

Commanding 7

Hayden White

Defensively sound and with some good moments going forward, White was solid and is starting to prove his worth in a Walsall shirt.

Solid 7

Rollin Menayese

Confident in the air and tough in the tackle, Menayese was impressive. He played a big part in helping Walsall hold on to their lead.

Tough 8

Manny Monthe

Despite a few misplaced passes, Monthe was solid overall and commanded the back line. He is an imposing presence in defence.

Stood firm 7

Stephen Ward

Ward offered little going forward and had a difficult time defending against Ajiboye, who often got beyond him.

Struggled 5

Joss Labadie

The captain was uncharacteristically ill-disciplined in the first half and struggled with his positioning, but in the second half was much more composed. He also won the free-kick for the winning goal.

Ill-disciplined 6

Jack Earing

Earing was on track for an average performance but looked after the ball much better in the second half and regained some control over the midfield.

Control 7

Kieran Phillips

The winger was anonymous throughout the afternoon and offered virtually nothing going forward. Very poor.

Anonymous 4

Emmanuel Osadebe

Osadebe had some nice touches and flicks but also failed to have any control over the midfield. A mixed afternoon.

Mixed 6

Brendan Kiernan

Kiernan had some nice attacking runs and a couple efforts on goal. Certainly not a game-changing performance, but a few nice moments.

Nice moments 6

George Miller

The striker made plenty of good runs in behind the Sutton defence and held his own when holding up the ball against tough defenders. He was, however, isolated at times.

Held his own 7

Substitutes

Tyrese Shade 7 (for Phillips, 58), Sam Perry (for Osadebe, 84), Ash Taylor (for Kiernan, 86).

Subs not used: Rose, Bates, Leak, Khan.