“The season has just started I am very positive we are capable of winning games”.
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The visitors withstood sustained pressure after the interval when Sunderland hit back through Patrick van Aanholt and then pushed for the victor, but Boro held on to record their first victory since returning to the top flight this season.
But to the disappointment of the locals among a crowd of 43,515, it was the top-flight newcomers who emerged victorious on an afternoon when the Black Cats, who have not won a Premier League game in August or September since 2012, were made to pay for both defensive frailty and wayward finishing. The threadbare squad returned to London in the early hours of Friday. “So to come in 2-0 down made us flat and made it hard”.
“I think some of the boys did very well to play in a derby game”.
Sunderland then lost John O’Shea to injury, with Steven Pienaar coming on for his debut following his move from Everton on Friday, and in the 45th minute things got even worse for the home side.
“We need to bounce back straight away – we know from experiences in the past that we don’t have time”.
“When you have to be the man out there to make the right decision every time – it is the Premier League – as soon as you make a mistake they find you out and you have to be spot on for 90 minutes”.
He said: “I have said always that we can’t make mistakes because in the Premier League, there are a lot of quality players”. We had worked so hard.
Boro opened the scoring with just 12 minutes gone through Stuani’s thunderbolt.
I was disappointed we conceded because we defended ever so well. We were on the front foot and tried to create chances.
Ignoring all the crap that surrounded the farce that was yesterday’s game, it’s important that we recognise a number of aspects from the performance yesterday that gives us hope for the future.
“Somebody will come into help us and maintain a high level and high standard to get the points we need”.
He said: “What we have got, we are having to add to it with young players as well as one or two experienced players, and we have got to try to get the balance right and obviously choose and get the right players at the right price in the transfer market”.
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“It takes a lot of effort to score that first goal and after that we looked a little bit exhausted, to find the net again”.
