Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's win over Cardiff City and here are my four key conclusions

Sunderland beat Cardiff City 2-1 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday thanks to goals from Eliezer Mayenda and Chris Mepham.

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

Régis Le Bris speaks for every Sunderland fan with mixed post-match emotions

The Sunderland head coach sat down to conduct his post-match press conference and it wasn't hard to detect that relief was the overriding emotion in the wake of this narrow win.

Which is not to say that there weren't a lot of positives to take from Sunderland's performance, which there very obviously were. They had started the game excellently, Eliezer Mayenda continuing his strong recent run with another vibrant display across the 90 minutes. Though both understandably tired in the second half, Romaine Mundle and Alan Browne were noticeably sharper on their second start since returning from injury and give the squad some very welcome depth.

Sunderland played some very good football at times, and the statistics reflected the fact that they were good value for the three points. They produced an XG of 2.45 to Cardiff's City 0.50, and had 19 shots to Cardiff's six. And yet their frustrating habit of not quite being able to put games to bed when on top reared its head, with a noticeable dip in their performance midway through the first half allowing the Bluebirds to work their way back into the contest.

"I was a bit disappointed during half time because this question of consistency is really key because if we can maintain this level we would have scored two or three more goals," Le Bris said.

"That part of the game was a little bit strange, we had massive control and we allowed our opponent to score."

It wouldn't be fair to expect to such a young side, one that is far from the most expensively assembled in the division, to just dominate games from minute one to ninety week in, week out. At the same time, it's obvious that developing a more ruthless streak is the next hurdle to jump if they to develop from best of the rest to genuine top-two force.

THE INJURY SUNDERLAND REALLY DIDN'T WANT - LET'S HOPE ITS NOT SERIOUS

Le Bris has said on a few occasions this season that he isn't one for superstitions either in football or in life. On Saturday, we probably saw why. On Thursday he had revealed in his pre-match press conference that Ian Poveda had suffered another injury setback, one that potentially could rule him out for a month or more.

it underlined the importance of Patrick Roberts, whose availability and consistency this season has been really good after some struggles last time out. Touch wood, Le Bris said, that would continue to be the case. Midway through the first half, Roberts limped off. This was a really important moment in the half and the game, and also offers some mitigation to Sunderland's dip in performance discussed above. Not only did it hurt Sunderland's rhythm but it gave Cardiff City a very welcome pause, with their coaching staff taking the opportunity to get tactical messages across the players. They were noticeably more pragmatic in certain areas of the pitch thereafter, allowing them to break some of the pressure that Sunderland had been building.

The lack of a natural alternative to Roberts was evident for the rest of the half, though it should be said that Chris Rigg performed very well after the break and caused a lot of problems. A long-term injury to Roberts would be a major blow and though both Rigg and Eliezer Mayenda can deputise, it would be far from ideal.

Le Bris said afterwards that the substitution had been made initially as a precaution, raising some hope

ANOTHER INJURY BLOW TAKES SHINE OFF WIN

Le Bris also confirmed that Salis Abdul Samed, a surprise absentee from the squad, was facing a few weeks on the sidelines with a calf problem. He could be back after the international break and so will only miss a couple of games but the knock-on effect will be that it will then be a further period of time before he is able to rebuild his full match sharpness.

It's frustrating for the head coach, who is asking Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham to take on a huge workload in the middle of the pitch. Sunderland have two games before a very welcome international break and a well-deserved rest for the pair.

ANTHONY PATTERSON MAKES A STUNNING SAVE - BUT GOALKEEPING DEBATE ISN'T GOING AWAY

Le Bris had been firm in his backing of Patterson after his own goal against Hull City, completely dismissing any suggestion that he may even have considered changing goalkeeper. It was the right decision and the right approach, with Patterson's list of genuine errors this season still very small.

The first thing we should say about Cardiff City's goal, in which Patterson spilled a routine cross from which Isaak Davies scored the follow up, is that he was unlucky. While he probably should have done better, Yousef Salech clearly swung out his arm to disrupt him with no prospect of playing the ball. It's a foul that gets given nine times out of ten.

Le Bris said afterwards that he wasn't entirely sure what his opinion on the matter was, noting that it would be a definite foul in France but that in the Championship you can't be sure it will be given. The inference here was clear: Patterson has to do better.

This is unlikely to change Le Bris's selection stance and particularly after Patterson produced an outstanding save to deny Salech with the scores level in the second half. Le Bris will want his goalkeeper to play his way through what appears to be a dip in confidence when it comes to commanding his own box, but the debate will grow with any more errors.

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