‘All of a sudden’: Pundit hits back at O’Nien critics with comparison to another Sunderland star.

The Black Cats and Regis Le Bris couldn’t have started 2025 any better. He was present when Sunderland defeated Sheffield United 2-1 at the Stadium of Light, moving them up to fourth position in the league standings but only two points behind the top two.

The performance had several positive aspects. After opening the score and then setting up Wilson Isidor for the second, Gary Bennett subsequently stated that Eliezer Mayenda had his best game for Sunderland. A week prior, Mayenda’s wasted opportunity in the Boxing Day stalemate against Blackburn Rovers had angered Sunderland supporters. Sunderland supporters then criticized O’Nien for his performance following the Blades encounter. Bennett, however, has suddenly stood up for O’Nien in spite of that terrible New Year’s Day incident.

Gary Bennett hits back at Luke O’Nien critics at Sunderland

Following that match against Sheffield United, Sunderland supporters were undoubtedly quite outspoken about O’Nien. To be fair, he was extremely awful, recklessly handing away a penalty before scoring one himself. However, for the most part this season, the 29-year-old has been an exceptional player. Speaking on Total Sport, Bennett compared the criticism to Mayenda’s during the Blackburn game and reminded fans that O’Nien has had a strong season overall.

When he makes a few mistakes, everyone thinks, “He shouldn’t be doing that,” “He shouldn’t be playing here,” and you think, “Hold on a minute, players do make mistakes,” Bennett said.When we discussed Mayenda, people concentrated on the two chances he lost in the previous two games rather than his strong performance overall.

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