Sunderland were knocked out of the FA Cup by Port Vale last week.

Former Sunderland icon Kevin Phillips has admitted that the Black Cats missed out on a “massive opportunity” by suffering defeat in the fifth round of the FA Cup against League One strugglers Port Vale last weekend.

Regis Le Bris’ men were dumped out of the historic competition by a side 57 places beneath them in the footballing pyramid, and in doing so, squandered the chance to move to within one game of a Wembley semi-final.

Sunderland never truly seemed to get to grips with a difficult playing surface at Vale Park, and reflecting on their unexpected defeat during an exclusive interview with The Echo, courtesy of BestBettingSites, the Black Cats legend cited the pitch as a key factor in the result, as well as excusing Le Bris himself for his team selection.

What did Kevin Phillips say about Sunderland’s FA Cup defeat vs Port Vale?

He said: “I did the game for the TV, and I said before and after it was a huge opportunity for both football clubs, but certainly for Sunderland, being the Premier League side. They’ve pretty much secured their Premier League status against Leeds, getting them to the 40 points. I know it’s not mathematically safe yet, but they’re not far from it. So, they could have really had a real go at it.

“They picked, to be fair to Le Bris, the strongest side that he possibly could with injuries and suspensions. Then it’s over to the players, going out there and applying themselves right. When you analyse it and look at it now, Port Vale played the conditions a lot better. The pitch was poor, but overall, that wasn’t an excuse. Sunderland players didn’t turn up. Port Vale did, and they got what they deserved. And I feel for the fans because it was an opportunity to get into the quarter-finals. But it’s done now. Massive, massive opportunity for them. I would have loved to have seen them in the quarter-finals. So lessons have to be learned from that, that’s for sure.”

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As mentioned, Phillips’ comments echo those he expressed during his punditry duties with TNT Sports last weekend. At the time, he said: “They [Port Vale] 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. I feel disappointed for the fans. They go everywhere, and we've seen their team underperform today.”

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