Alex Neil explains the key to Sunderland's emphatic win and what pleased him the most

Alex Neil said he felt that Sunderland’s performance against Cambridge United was the best of his tenure at the club.
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Sunderland benefited from the referee’s decision to show Lloyd Jones a red card for fouling Ross Stewart in the box ten minutes into the contest, after which the hosts dominated the game almost entirely.

Neil said he felt that decision was harsh but added that his team had been in the ascendancy right from minute one.

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He was particularly pleased with the way his side managed the game in the second half, doubling their two-goal advantage and giving up few opportunities.

Nathan Broadhead scores Sunderland's fourth goal at the Stadium of LightNathan Broadhead scores Sunderland's fourth goal at the Stadium of Light
Nathan Broadhead scores Sunderland's fourth goal at the Stadium of Light

“From minute one we were great,” Neil said.

“We moved the ball really well, we had a really clear approach in terms of how we wanted to approach the game and I thought the lads carried out it magnificently well.

“We could have had double figures, there were numerous excellent performances right across the pitch.

“What pleased me most was off the back of our half-time team talk, our professionalism in the second half. We talked about starving them of the ball, keep rotating it, and the chances will come.

"That's exactly what we did.”

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Neil said his aggressive game plan carried a risk but it was one he felt he had to take given the still narrow race for the top six.

He praised his players for executing that perfectly as they dominated throughout.

“What we did is play the 3-5-2 but pushed the wing backs right up and flooded their back four and made them go man-for-man,” Neil said.

“What that allows you to do is get those crosses into the box because you can work outside their full backs when the centre forwards force them narrow.

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“That's what we did, but it's a risky strategy because if the ball turns over too much their wingers are the wrong side of you and they can hurt you.

“But in this game, I felt we needed to throw caution to the wind, we needed to be aggressive and win the game.

“You couldn’t approach every game like that because, if you do, you’re going to leave massive gaps at the back,” he added.

"I understood the importance of today’s game, and looked at Cambridge in terms of how I thought they would play, how I thought we would play, and how we could dictate play in that central area.

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“That was a real focus of our discussion, making sure that when we controlling the ball, we didn’t give it away because we would get broken on down the flanks. We did that aspect of the game really well.

“We wanted to score as many goals as we could, and it's credit to the players.

“I think it was our best performance since I've been here. I know it's about ten men but you often see a game with ten get really difficult and sticky.

“I thought just from minute one, we took the game away from them and controlled it.”