Sam Allardyce reveals what he wants from his Sunderland side

Following the 1-1 draw with AFC Bournemouth, the Black Cats face Manchester City at home a week on Tuesday before a trip to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.

A home game against Manchester United follows that fixture in what is a tough week of fixtures.

In the aftermath of the Cherries draw, Allardyce admitted there was "enormous" pressure on his Sunderland side going into game ahead of the tough run of games.

And he knows he needs his Sunderland side to spring a surprise as they battle against the drop.

"There was enormous pressure on us, everyone expected us to win [against Bournemouth] because we had beaten Aston Villa and Swansea," said Allardyce.

"We were okay until the goal went in, after that, they were in complete control.

"You look at the next games and everyone thinks how difficult they are.

"The Premier League is what it is, can we come up with a shock result?

"That is what we have to feel positive about."

Sunderland fell behind after just 13 minutes on Saturday, the Black Cats have the worst record in the league in terms of conceding goals before the 15-minute mark.

And Allardyce admits it is an "issue" that needs resolving quickly.

He added: "The stats tell us that we are hesitant in our starting positions, something we must try and change in terms of going forward, there is no doubt about that.

"I wasn't craving a draw, well, I was after 13 minutes!

"But I was pleased with the recovery, our nerves jangled and frayed at that particularly time.

"We saw some of the players struggling but finally they overcame those nerves and started to play as we know they can.

"I thought the shift of Jeremain Lens and Johnno [Adam Johnson] got us to play more.

"Second half, if we'd found a better final pass, then we might have got more from the game.

"The final ball to Jermain Defoe didn't work as well as it did against Swansea and Aston Villa.

"I thought Billy Jones was going to be the man to get us in front with that chance and my heart was in my mouth [when Bournemouth's Lewis Grabban] had that late chance.

"That was good fortune on our part."