I just watched Sunderland lose at Man Utd - this is what went wrong in crucial first half

Sunderland suffered only their second defeat of the Premier League season with an unusually slack first-half performance against Man Utd, with goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko securing the win.

It is not very often you could argue this season that Sunderland have defended poorly or that Regis Le Bris has left his team a little too exposed out of possession, but both were true here. Both goals ought to have been defended better by a side that has been so resilient this season, while an attacking line up from Le Bris arguably backfired as the impressive Fernandes, Mbuemo and Amad dominated the first half. That Le Bris was forced into a tactical change before the interval spoke volumes of a rare off day for the visitors, albeit against a side with serious

Sunderland had in fact started the better of the two teams, Bertrand Traore spurning a huge chance on full debut when he wasn't able to make any contact on a low cross from Simon Adingra. The offside flag spared Traore's blushes, though the replays suggested there would have been a VAR check at the very least.

It was a bright start but with their first chance, Man Utd took a vital lead. It was unusually passive from Sunderland, not applying any pressure on Mbuemo as he crossed or on. Mason Mount as he gathered the ball just inside the box. Given time and space, he picked out the far corner and left Robin Roefs with no chance to make a save. It was a huge moment, allowing a team under immense pressure to grow in confidence. For a significant spell, Sunderland were then outplayed. They had come here with a positive XI and set up, looking to pres high and man-for-man through much of the pitch. Emboldened, the sharp passing from the home side started to find gaps in the Sunderland side. In particular they were struggling to cope down their left flank, where Amad and Mbuemo were combining quikcly and incisively. Twice Roefs had to make excellent saves high to his right as Sunderland were opened up, unable to stop Amad driving into dangerous areas as he so often had during his loan spell on Wearside. Roefs then made his best save yet as Fernandes aimed an audacious chip towards the far corner from just inside the box, the goalkeeper somehow clawing the effort onto his own crossbar.

Sunderland were then undone to their immense frustration by a long throw, Mukiele making first contact but nodding only into the path of Sesko who turned in a first-time volley. For a team that has so prided itself on its aggression in defending their own box this season, they were two poor goals to concede and an impromptu huddle in the middle of the pitch underlined that. Le Bris had also seen enough, bringing Dan Ballard on for Adingra and switching to a back five.

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It sparked an improvement before the break, Sunderland enjoying the added defensive protection that allowed them time on the ball. They thought they had the chance to equalise from the spot when Sesko challenged Trai Hume at the front post after a long throw, but a bizarre sequence ensued whereby the referee awarded a penalty after initially opting for a corner, before changing his mind again after VAR sent him to the monitor. Sunderland should still have scored from the eventual corner, Ballard heading wide despite being left unmarked at the far post.

Having struggled to make any major inroads through the opening exchanges of the second half, Le Bris rang the changes with a triple substitution that saw Brobbey go up front and Talbi and Mayenda move into the wide areas.

There were brief flickers from Sunderland, a shot from the lively Mayenda that went wide and a good cross from the overlapping Mukiele that Brobbey just couldn’t make a connection on. In truth, though, a largely uneventful second half reflected the control that the hosts had and Lammens was for the most part a bystander in the second half, saving only from Talbi late on when the winger should have done better left free in the box.

The hosts ran the clock down and ultimately Sunderland came up short. It has been a terrific start to the season for the Black Cats but they left themselves too much to do in this first half. There will be no panic on Wearside who were for large parts competitive against a side who grew in confidence and showed their ability, but the game showed that they cannot afford to slip below their high standards at this level.