Former England players Kevin Phillips and Karen Carney did not hold back after the Black Cats’ shock FA Cup defeat

Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips admitted he was left frustrated by the Black Cats’ performance as League One’s bottom club Port Vale produced a memorable FA Cup upset to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1954.

Ben Waine’s looping header from a corner ultimately settled the tie, condemning Premier League Sunderland to a disappointing exit and sending Vale into the last eight in remarkable circumstances. Speaking on TNT Sports after the game, Phillips felt the hosts simply showed greater desire on the day.

“I shouldn't be saying it, but it just looked like Port Vale wanted it more,” Phillips said. “Yes, they dealt with the conditions better because they play on this pitch, but I can't use that as an excuse. They're Premier League players, you should be able to adapt. They're good enough. On paper, Port Vale shouldn't even get near them, but as I said earlier, that's football - you have to earn the right.”

Phillips also expressed sympathy for the travelling Sunderland supporters who had made the journey to Vale Park. “I feel disappointed for the fans,” he added. “They go everywhere, and we've seen their team underperform today.”

Sunderland struggled to impose their usual style of play and repeatedly found themselves forced into mistakes under Port Vale’s aggressive pressing. “They can't play their style of football on a pitch like that,” Phillips added. “They had to go a little bit more direct, and at times they did.

“They got in, but you can see here, Port Vale are pressuring them. Every time someone is on the ball, they're pressing, they're forcing mistakes. It's nearly an own-goal situation. This leads to the goal. Disappointing from their point of view. Régis Le Bris will be so disappointed, and when the players analyse it themselves, they'll see it's a simple one. You've got to learn from that.”

Despite Sunderland’s strong Premier League campaign so far, Phillips said their attacking play failed to fire when it mattered. “That's the way to play on pitches like this,” he added. “They should have done better, but offensively, some of them have been excellent this season. Offensively, today it didn't turn out.”

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Former England international Karen Carney agreed with Phillips’ assessment and said Port Vale’s approach was clear from the outset. “I have to agree,” Carney said. “If you watched Port Vale against Bristol City you knew what they were going to do. They press every negative ball, they try to put you under pressure because of the pitch. Like Kevin said - turn them, put the pressure on and play in their half. Show that you're a Premier League team, win every first ball and every second ball. It just wasn't the case today.”

Carney also described Sunderland’s exit as a significant missed opportunity given their strong league position. “For Sunderland it's a massive missed opportunity,” she said. “You're on 40 points in the Premier League and you're two games away from the semi-finals at Wembley. The fans will be thinking they're safe in the league, so why couldn't they have gone further in the cup? For me it's a missed opportunity, and it was a mindset as well.”

Port Vale, who have endured a difficult league campaign and sit well adrift of safety in League One, were able to celebrate a rare high point as their disciplined display secured one of the most notable results in the club’s modern history.

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