Such a weird night.

Six goals. Some terrible defending. Profligacy with the ball. Bizarre decision-making (on the pitch). Some flowing football. And a head coach who ended the night by telling some of the supporters to stay away.

Where to even begin…

But I will start with David Wagner’s chosen eleven, which included Jacob Sorensen as the right-sided centre-back. That, to me, felt brave – not something we always associate with Wagner – but on this occasion, it felt like he got away with it.

The rationale, presumably, was that with Grant Hanley’s return from long-term injury being carefully managed, he needed to re-couple Ben Gibson for the night and went with someone who he deems comfortable on the ball, or at least more comfortable than poor old Danny Batth.
As career moves go, Batth’s decision to uproot from Wearside – where he was Black Cats’ 2022-23 player of the year – and relocate to Norfolk is up there with Marley Watkins deciding that the grass was greener in Norwich than it was in Barnsley.

The fact that Wagner trusts the Dane ahead of the former Sunderland centre-back certainly brings into question the decision to bring him here in the first place. The need for us to have centre-backs who are comfortable with the ball at their feet is not a new one.

But, by and large, it was a decision justified by the outcome. Sorensen may not have the power and presence of the regular centre-back choice...