It was a combination of soreness, a lack of match fitness and a second-minute booking taking their toll.
A second successive league defeat and a third league game without a victory, but one which left Titus Bramble wondering how they had come away with nothing.
Brambles missed sitter was certainly one reason.
Titus Bramble: "It was just one of those games where we could have been there all day and we wouldn't have got the equaliser.
"We tried, we plugged away, but without any success. With the amount of chances we created, on another day, we score three or four goals. But it just wasn't the case.
"As a neutral, I think it was a great game to watch. It was certainly a good game to play in. The only bad thing was the result."
Source: Sunderland-Mad
Source: FOOTYMAD
