Sunderland were beaten 3-0 by Arsenal on Saturday but there were some positives to take from their performance
Dan Ballard says Sunderland’s focus is on bouncing back with a strong performance against Liverpool on Wednesday night after the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal.
The Black Cats produced a good performance in the main at the Emirates, but Martin Zubimendi’s goal shortly before half time from the edge of the area proved key. Substitute Viktor Gyokeres scored a brace in the second half as Arsenal in the end ran out comfortable winners.
The view from the Sunderland dressing room was that they had been ruthlessly punished for some small mistakes in the game, but that there were positives to take as they look to maintain their unbeaten home record against Arne Slot’s side.
“Yeah, we've already discussed it [bouncing back],” Ballard said.
“Our focus is now fully on Wednesday. We're going to attack the game the same way we've done all season. We're going to play to win, so hopefully we can bring the same energy as today, same performance, and the result will be in our favour.”
Though Sunderland’s winless run on the road in the Premier League was extended by their defeat at Arsenal, Ballard felt the performance was very different to those at West Ham and Brentford recently.
“I thought we approached the game brilliantly,” Ballard said.
“We defended really well. Small details just cost us, they really punish you for that. You can't make any mistakes. In other leagues, you may get away with it, short spells, but you've got to be spot-on at his level, especially against probably one of the best teams in the world at the moment.
“I think we had quite a strong performance to be honest,” Ballard added.
“I think especially the first half I thought we were really good. Had some dangerous set pieces, had a couple of chances and in the end those small details really punished us today. I think our performance probably didn't reflect the scoreline but that's the Premier League. Small mistakes, small details, you get punished for it.
“The first goal especially was extremely disappointing. We had a really good response in the second half and again, small mistakes and then the game was pretty much done at that point. We played our game, tried to be ourselves. We tried to have some control of the ball and I thought we certainly did, had a lot of set pieces. Whilst it was 0-0, you could feel the anxiety in the stadium. So I think that once they scored it was more difficult for us.”
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Le Bris: Totally different feeling to West Ham and Brentford defeats
Giving his view on the game, head coach Régis Le Bris said: “The scoreline might be the same but it wasn't the same game.
“We showed character and personality with and without the ball. It was the game we expected. We knew Arsenal were really well rounded and have the ability to be impactful from set-pieces and especially after the counter press. We lost two balls and conceded two goals.
“It doesn't mean our game wasn't good. Especially at the beginning of the second half we had a couple of opportunities to be back in the game. We didn't seize those opportunities and against an opponent like Arsenal if you don't seize those few opportunities, the game is gone.
“In this league you have to show resilience. We have another game at home in three days. It's another exciting challenge and we have to try to be at our best.”
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