Alex Neil delivers this verdict on Sunderland's crucial win and how they performed

Dan Neil and Patrick Roberts came off the bench to score the vital goals after Crewe Alexandra had provided stubborn resistance for 84 minutes.

Neil admitted that his side did not do enough in possession for the most part but insisted that he felt they were worthy of the three points that keep their play-off hopes very much intact.

“We were very dominant through the game,” Neil said.

"We didn’t create as much as we’d have liked, but if you look at he starting XI it was very aggressive,” Neil said.

“The game really altered when we brought the subs on, to be honest.

“Patrick playing off the front man, in between the spaces was great, Dan Neil had an impact and Leon Dajaku was very direct.

“That’s why we’ve got a squad.

“Whether we win in the 89th minute, the 93rd minute or the first, our job is to win.

“I thought we were the dominant team. Did we really do enough with our possession? Not really, we can get better.

"But we deserved the win."

Sunderland’s direct approach yielded little end product in the first half, and Neil admits the impact of his substitutes has given him food for thought moving forwards.

“Every single team is going to come here to frustrate us, so we've got to be clear in what we need to do,” Neil said.

“It wasn't free-flowing, but I can assure you, anybody that puts 11 players behind the ball in their own half in a deep block, that is hard to break down.

“We got there in the end.

“I thought first half, the longer passing was more productive because Ross won all of his duels. But we didn't get around his feet enough, and our crosses into the box weren't good enough.

“In the second half, because they sat even deeper and even narrower, that's why the likes of Patrick and Dan were able to have a really big impact.

“I've been here in a limited time, and I didn't really know these players. I'm learning more and more every day, and that naturally starts to then alter my decision making in terms of how we play.

"I’ve got to keep a really clear mind and I thought for the second game, substitutes have come on and had a big impact on games.

"It’s also our third clean sheet in four games. We’re moving in the right direction, and the results suggest that.

"They’ve had a couple of moments where the boy has hooked it over the top and that’s disappointing from us. We had to be patient, and I know what it’s like in the opposition dressing room, that’s the gameplan but you know that after 60 minutes, you start making bad decisions, your legs tire, mentally you tire. Ultimately, it’s those little bits where we wanted to kick in.

“At this moment in time, the three points is the most important thing.”

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