'Daft' mistake, tactical change and positives Sunderland will take into huge week
Captain Dan Neil admitted “a bad decision in my own box cost us the game” as Sunderland lost 2-1 at Watford. The midfielder was quick to give an honest assessment following the defeat at Vicarage Road as he and the players prepare to bounce back at home to Derby County, on Tuesday night.
County lost their game too on Saturday when they went down 3-2 at home to Norwich City. It’s a busy week in the Championship for Regis Le Bris’ side as they are back at the Stadium of Light on Friday night to host Leeds United, prior to the next international break.
The Black Cats fought hard throughout the second 45 minutes at Watford after falling behind in the opening period to Festy Ebosele’s volley. Wilson Isidor marked his first start with a goal which drew the Lads level on 49 minutes. But a late penalty, when Neil fouled in the penalty area with a mistimed challenge, was dispatched by Tom Dele-Bashiru and it handed Watford the points.
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Speaking to safc.com post-match Neil said: “I thought we started a little bit slow in the first 15-20 minutes. We made a slight adjustment tactically and figured it out for the last 10 minutes of the first half and the whole of the second half.
“We were really good and we were the better team. It was a daft mistake, a lack of concentration that cost us the game. We can take a lot of positives from the second half and take them into Tuesday and bounce back.”
He added: “There were chances at both ends. They probably had the better of it in the first half, but we made a few last-ditch tackles and blocks. Trai Hume made a brilliant one in the first half, but I thought in the second period we dominated the game.
“I thought our man-to-man press was really good. We figured out how they wanted to play and we stopped it. We got an early goal [in the second period] and we were trying our best to get the second but, like I said before, a bad decision in my own box has cost us that game. We have got to take the positives into Tuesday night now.”