Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's draw with Watford and here are the four key conclusions I drew

Sunderland were held to a 2-2 draw by Watford at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Phil Smith was there reporting for The Echo and here are his four key conclusions...

SAME SCORELINE, DIFFERENT PROBLEMS

At the final whistle the scoreline and the overwhelming sense of frustration were the same. A 2-2 draw, two valuable points dropped at home in the race for automatic promotion. There was also a familiar theme in the prevailing opinion as to what had gone wrong, namely that Régis Le Bris had erred in sticking with three central midfielders even though Jobe Bellingham was absent with a minor ankle knock.

The first half here had played out very differently to that draw with Plymouth Argyle, however. Then, Sunderland dominated possession almost entirely, their issue being turning that into chances as the visitors sat camped in a low block. Here it was actually Watford who dominated possession over the course of the first half, impressing with a pragmatic game plan that prevented Sunderland from applying any sustained pressure on their goal. At times they took the sting out of the game by moving it carefully around their backline and midfield, not creating much but not allowing Sunderland to play in dangerous areas. In the rare moments where Sunderland looked as if they got get their high press going, they were more than happy to go direct and use their obvious physical advantage. If there was a common denominator between the two games it was the reluctance of both teams to invite Sunderland's press, suggesting that teams are now taking a more pragmatic approach when coming to the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland are never going to dominate the physical battle, making it all the more imperative that they use the ball well when they have it. The sloppiness that Sunderland displayed throughout this game will be the biggest concern for Le Bris moving forward whether it be reflective of complacency or, more likely, a sign of fatigue in key areas of the pitch. Which leads us on to the key question heading into a now vital clash with Luton Town on home turf this Wednesday...

IS IT TIME TO BRING ELIEZER MAYENDA BACK INTO THE SIDE?

Le Bris explained his decision to bring Salis Abdul Samed back into the starting XI by not unfairly reasoning that the 4-3-3 structure he has preferred all season, and the key partnerships that have been built within it, has been key to the team confounding pre-season expectations to establish themselves firmly in the race for the top two.

At the moment, though, the shape is clearly not functioning as well as it once was. He is regularly having to deploy a central midfielder out on the left, while there looks to be some fatigue impacting the performances of both Chris Rigg and Patrick Roberts over on the other flank. Le Bris is reluctant to lose one of his central midfielders as it leaves his side far more vulnerable to the counter attack. At the moment, though, they are shipping goals regardless and there's an argument that its counterproductive to leave a confident and sharp player on the sidelines. That is assuming that the discomfort Mayenda was clearly experiencing in his lower back towards the end of the game does not prove to be a more significant issue.

ANOTHER POTENTIALLY VITAL SWING IN THE RACE FOR THE TOP TWO

Chris Wilder's quotes following Sheffield United's game with Portsmouth suggests his side had struggled just as much as Sunderland had to impose themselves on home turf. Crucially the Blades were able to edge over the line, winning 2-1 to extend the gap to the Black Cats to five points.

It's far too early to make any definitive statement on the race for the top two, as with 45 points still to play there are guaranteed to be numerous twists and turns. It's also very clearly true that can afford few more slip ups if they are to keep the pace with the sides whose squads benefit from an obvious extra depth as a result of parachute payments. Especially with a trip to Leeds United on the horizon, the most challenging assignment a Championship club can face right now. Wednesday night has become a hugely important game to Sunderland's short-term prospects. To be so comfortably placed inside the top six is a terrific achievement from this side, but they know they have an opportunity to go one better and will be desperate to prevent it from fizzling out.

LACK OF CLINICAL EDGE COSTS SUNDERLAND AGAIN

This was far from a vintage Sunderland performance and yet the Black Cats still spurned two golden opportunities to win late on when both Wilson Isidor and Milan Aleksic broke through on goal. 'Clinical' is a word Le Bris has used as often as any this season in his post-match assessments, a recurring theme that could be the difference between top two and top six. It's why another forward was seen as an important part of the club's plans going into the January window, and why proven operators such as Tom Cannon were so coveted. Sunderland have two excellent strikers at the moment and it caused them an obvious issue in trying to recruit a third, but the Black Cats will hope that Jayden Danns will be back soon to help them finish games more effectively.