Sunderland beat Oxford United 1-0 to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup
Régis Le Bris praised his Sunderland players for their application as the Black Cats booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win Oxford United.
Habib Diarra's first-half penalty proved to be the difference between the two teams and though Sunderland weren't at their best through the opening 45 of the game, they improved significantly after the break. Le Bris said Oxford had caused his side problems with their direct play in the first half but that they had been able to solve the problem during the interval.
Oxford United goalkeeper Matt Ingram made a number of second half saves with Sunderland largely in control of the game but unable ultimately to add to their tally.
“The result was the most important thing, getting through, and we were able to do that in the end," Le Bris said.
"We expected a tough game, we had that last season when we came here, struggled and lost 2-0. They do some very direct play, winning second balls, and they have the ability to fight around the drop zone. That was a part of the game that was always going to be really important. We struggled with it a little bit in the first half, but I thought it was much better in the second half. We scored, which is always important, and I think that helped us to manage the match from that point on much better."
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Le Bris felt his side benefited from a more open contest in the second half.
“The attacking play improved as the match went on," Le Bris said.
"The game became progressively more open. They played with a back four and were well organised defensively, to be fair. It wasn’t easy to find the right rhythm, but it was generally okay and it is often the case that in the second half, the game is a bit more open and you can create more chances. We did that, but unfortunately we couldn’t score the second goal."
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