Source: PA
Bruce blasts defence
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce criticised his side's attitude and defending after a 2-0 defeat at Everton extended their run to just one win in 13 Barclays Premier League matches.
Goals from Tim Cahill and on-loan Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan - his first for Everton - settled the match in the opening 18 minutes.
Their previous league match was a 7-2 hammering at Chelsea and the Black Cats have now conceded 18 goals in their last six top-flight fixtures.
"I seem to be like a long-playing record at the minute but it is too easy the number of goals we give away," said Bruce. "They didn't have to do much for the goals today. A cross into our box and we haven't picked Cahill up.
"I'm not going to make any excuses. Two kicks up the pitch have cost us and we haven't defended it anywhere near the way we should do. That has been our Achilles heel of late. We just haven't - or can't - defend properly.
"The first half an hour was nowhere near the standard of what we need to be in the Premier League. We have to be a bit more resilient than that. We have to show better attitude than what we showed."
