Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray gives verdict on controversial moment in Stoke City defeat
Sunderland suffered a second-straight defeat away at Stoke City over the weekend.
Sunderland lost 2-1 against Alex Neil's Stoke.
Jack Clarke was on the scoresheet for the Black Cats, who conceded first on the day.
And Stoke's first goal was somewhat controversial with many deeming it to have struck the arm of Ryan Mmaee who scored the goal.
Speaking on the incident, Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray is quoted as saying:
"If I'm honest, we did fall below par for the way we play and what we do. That's not the goals, though the first goal looks like a blatant handball. The fourth official explained that they felt it wasn't because of where it struck him, I looked at the screen in our dugout and to me it looks as if it strikes him well below the line."
Stoke's second goal came from a corner. It was put away by defender Luke McNally, and on that goal, Mowbray added:
"It's then frustrating for any team to concede from a corner. A frustrating day, we didn't start either half well enough and it's almost as if we needed a slap to react to the fight."
A frustrating defeat...
Sunderland may well feel hard done by for the first goal, and Mowbray is obviously disappointed to concede from a set piece.
And whilst there's a lot of disappointment around the defeat, Stoke remain a good team and so there's no need to worry about the Black Cats' fortunes this season after one loss.
Mowbray is still dealing with a long injury list as well, and whilst his team selection came under scrutiny, it's understandable that Burstow and Rusyn were benched after being international duty.
Up next for Sunderland is a trip to league leaders Leicester City tomorrow night, with kickoff at 8pm.
Read more Sunderland news
- Tony Mowbray reveals two positions he still wants to bolster this summer
- Dan Ballard talks new contract and West Ham interest
- Chris Rigg speaks out after scoring his first Sunderland goal
- Kristjaan Speakman discusses potential financial boost for Sunderland
- EXCLUSIVE: Jack Clarke told he's not leaving Sunderland this summer
- Anthony Patterson assesses Sunderland's top six credentials