Blackburn 1 Sunderland 0
These are the games that get you relegated if you're not careful.
That might sound harsh but it's something that anyone who has watched Sunderland's Premiership travails over the last five years could tell you; something you realise in the wake of watching countless opportunities agonisingly missed over the course of time
Let too many of them go by and you're in deep trouble and this was the best chance Sunderland have had of several this season to get three away points on the board.
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You can analyse each successive failure individually and find reasons for things going wrong but the bottom line is that Sunderland just aren't making the most of some really good opportunities and if you continue doing that in the Premier League you risk paying the ultimate price.
Only two points on the road have been taken from a possible 33 this season, both of which were gained courtesy of last minute goals and if that doesn't set the alarm bells ringing alongside those of the departing sleigh bells then nothing will.
Last night's game boiled down to a tale of two penalties - Dean Whitehead's, saved in the 55th minute; Benni McCarthy's, converted two minutes later.
And it neatly encapsulated the risk half-decent teams run when they don't make the most of their opportunities - the Manchester Uniteds and Arsenals, in the full knowledge that many more will come their way, can afford to squander the occasional chance or two; the likes of Sunderland cannot.
And the cruellest part of this particular defeat for Roy Keane's men was that they had worked so hard to earn a victory and had deserved all three points, never mind just one.
Sunderland made three changes to the side which beat Bolton Wanderers in its last outing - Daryl Murphy, Dwight Yorke and Ross Wallace coming in for Michael Chopra, Andy Cole and Dickson Etuhu.
Blackburn made only one change - Chris Samba, the giant centre-half, who handled Kenwyne Jones so well in the teams' encounter earlier in the season, recalled to the side to do the same job again with Zurab Khizanishvili dropped to the bench.
The game got underway in freezing cold, blustery conditions with Sunderland playing a 4-1-4-1 formation, Yorke sitting in front of the back-four with Murphy on the left-wing, Wallace on the right behind Jones who was given the lone role up front.
After a scrappy opening few minutes, the first chance of the game went Sunderland's way eight minutes in when a miscontrol by Rovers saw Samba having to make a last-ditch tackle on Liam Miller 10 yards out.
The vistors kept up the pressure in the 10th minute when a well-worked moved ended with Murphy firing in a ball from the left which Brad Friedel blocked low at his near post.
And Sunderland kept up the good work when just before the quarter-hour Jones was squeezed out in the box after a good move involving Richardson and Murphy.
It was impressive stuff from Sunderland, backed as usual by Wearside fans who had travelled in great numbers and who were to outsing the home fans virtually throughout.
Blackburn had lost their previous three home games and had a tentativeness to their play which saw them wait until the 25th minute for their first sight of goal - David Bentley whistling in a free-kick from 35 yards out which was only narrowly wide, though Gordon had it covered.
Sunderland's workrate and closing down though was exemplary and in the 35th minute forced a defensive mistake from Stephen Warnock, trying to play the ball back to his keeper, which let in the lively Jones who showed great strength to hold off Rovers defenders only to scuff his shot into Friedel's arms.
Yorke found Murphy with a great diagonal ball a minute later and a stretched Blackburn did well to block the cross out for a corner with Jones just unable to get to it at the near post.
The striker did better a few seconds later when he wrestled his way around Samba to drive in a low shot which Friedel saved diving to his right.
It was all admirable stuff from the visitors and five minutes from half-time Rovers were forced to play the ball back to their keeper, unable to find any forward options - a course of action which brought boos from the frustrated home crowd, boos which continued when the half-time whistle went.
It was as good a 45 minutes as Sunderland had played away from home all season and perhaps indicated the head of steam they had taken from victory over Bolton in the preceding game.
The teams returned after the break making immediate substitutions with both sides leading scorers off - Jones replaced by Grant Leadbitter, Santa Cruz by Matt Derbyshire.
This was a bigger blow for the Black Cats than it was for the Rovers - Jones, even though he had been limping for the last 10 minutes of the first-half, had produced real menace while Santa Cruz had been well-marshalled and frankly anonymous.
Honours were even for the first 10 minutes after the resumption but then came arguably the key moment of the game when Sunderland were awarded a 55th minute penalty - Samba mistiming a challenge and clattering into Daryl Murphy inside the penalty area.
"No complaints," said Rovers' boss Mark Hughes.
Skipper Dean Whitehead took responsibility but he never looked confident and the low shot he placed just a couple of yards to Friedel's left, lacked pace and allowed the keeper to make the save look simple.
It proved to be a turning point.
Less than two minutes later Rovers won a penalty of their own when Samba drove a shot goalwards which struck Higginbotham and had referee Rob Styles pointing immediately to the spot - though replays suggested that the ball had hit the defender's armpit when his arm was raised.
Regardless of that, Benni McCarthy stepped up and blasted a shot to Gordon's right, the keeper going the correct way but beaten by sheer force of the shot.
It was Blackburn's first and only shot on target of the entire game.
It must have been galling for Gordon, for Rovers never really threatened his goal before or afterwards and the Scottish keeper looked like having every chance of keeping a rare clean sheet.
Sunderland took the game to the home team in the minutes that followed but created nothing and could have paid the price for a Yorke error in the 66th minute when he got himself booked bringing down substitute Matt Derbyshire right of goal - Morten Gamst Pedersen curling an effort narrowly wide.
Derbyshire was unable to continue after Yorke's crude challenge and the substitute was himself replaced by a substitute a couple of minutes when David Dunn entered play.
Yorke's booking had been caused as much by frustration at an error of judgement he had mades seconds earlier than by anything else and half-a-dozen minutes later he was sent off in precisely the same set of circumstances.
With his side attacking, he failed to properly chest down a ball and when Dunn nipped and raced off for a counter-attack, the rattled Yorke raced after him, bringing him down in the centre-cirle.
It left the referee no choice but to flourish the red card for what was the most senseless sending-off earned by a Sunderland player in many a long time.
"Yorke has given him an opportunity for him to send him off and we've got no real complaints," shrugged Keane.
The veteran midfielder who looked to visibly tire over the course of the second-half also cost his side any realistic chance of getting back into the game with Rovers taking extra heart from the 72nd minute sending off.
For the first time in the match, they started spraying the ball around with a swagger, as they realised they were on their way to their first back-to-back wins in 10 games and about to do the double over the Black Cats.
Determined but demoralised Sunderland threatened in flashes but the pressure at the death was all Rovers' who, mercifully, weren't able to get the second goal which would have added insult to injury.
Sunderland have the distraction of the FA Cup this weekend which brings the visit of improving but still inconsistent Wigan Athletic.
It is a game they might previously have been forgiven for taking a little lightly but given their desperate need to produce a polished performance, a ruthless display, a consistently strong display, it is now of the utmost importance.
The third round tie is a game Sunderland players must win for their own morale, as well as their fans', and then they must look to build on it in the weeks ahead.
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Weather for Sunderland
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: 0 C to 3 C
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