Honest Sunderland dressing room verdict after Huddersfield loss as Patrick Roberts addresses very poor aspect

Patrick Roberts says Sunderland’s players have to take responsibility for their disappointing performance against Huddersfield at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats were beaten 2-1, despite recording 76 per cent possession, after goals from Michal Helik and Delano Burgzorg, either side of Luke O’Nien’s equaliser five minutes before half-time. The result saw Sunderland drop to 11th in the Championship - four points off a play-off place.

“We came in knowing how they’d set up, have a plan against us to stop us getting towards their goal,” said Roberts after the match. “It was just about breaking that down and at the start and I thought we were very poor in that aspect.

“It can be tough but we are all good players and should be doing a lot better, myself included. We should be scoring loads of goals and making it fun for the fans who have come out, and at the other end obviously not concede. I think both aspects need to be better and it’s disappointing to lose. There are a lot of disappointed faces in there and we have to get up and get going again.”

At 26 Roberts is one of the more experienced members of Sunderland’s young team, which struggled to increase the intensity in the early stages against Huddersfield.

“It’s a tough one because you have so many, it’s not like you have a handful,” replied Roberts when asked about inexperienced players trying to inject more urgency. “You have quite a lot of the squad under the age of 23. Even I class myself as quite young and I’m 26, nearly 27.

“It’s hard but at the same time we’re a big club and there are those expectations on you, no matter your age you should be going out there wanting to impress and wanting to show you are a good player and win for this team.

“I think we have to take responsibility as a team, the manager will take his responsibility and we’ll take responsibility as players and take accountability that we’ve not been good enough. It’s something we have to sort out, myself included, and produce on the pitch. Everyone needs to dig in now, recover and go again on the weekend.”