Allardyce: Sunderland deserved more, but pressure back on

Watford stole all three points from Sunderland and will be travelling back down the length of the country happy with a win despite hoards of pressure from the home side.

Over the course of the 90 minutes at the Stadium of Light, hosts Sunderland had 47% of the possession, took 14 shots of which just two were on target, and earned eight corners.

Watford arguably would have had to settle for a point were it not for a stunning save late on from Heurelho Gomes to deny Defoe what looked a certain equaliser and the goalkeeper’s display was not a surprise to his coach.

While Watford climb three places to seventh, within touching distance of the European places, Sam Allardyce’s Sunderland remain a point from safety in the relegation zone.

“That’s how big a turnaround it would be if we beat Watford”.

Watford, and Odion Ighalo in particular, were at the Black Cats’ jugular from the outset, Ighalo nearly in on goal with only two minutes on the clock.

Individual defenders had been sent video clips of how to try to stop the Nigerian striker but they either failed to open the attachments sent to their laptops and tablets or simply found the task of putting theory into practise well beyond them.

“When you get them, put them in the back of the net”.

Allardyce added Adam Johnson and Jermain Defoe to the mix, the pair replacing Borini and Steven Fletcher, but although Johnson teed up Defoe to score in the 76th minute, it was ruled out for offside.

However, as they prepare for a run of games which sees them pitched into battle with Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City around the turn of the year, Gomes is adamant they can not relax. He said: “It was an own goal by Seb, which we can maybe consider a bit unlucky”.

“We didn’t play very well in the first half and had to change the system after 20 minutes because it wasn’t working”.

“The second half was a different story based on we got to where we wanted to be by creating the chances we created, but sadly didn’t capitalise on those chances by equalising and then trying to go on to win it”.

He started last weekend’s game at the Emirates, but is likely to be the player to make way if, as expected, Defoe returns to the starting line-up this afternoon.