'No way...' - Pundits blast Sunderland for defensive lapse against Ipswich Town in Championship

Sky Sports pundits Jobi McAnuff and Nathan Jones have delivered their verdict on Sunderland's defence after it conceded a soft second goal against Ipswich Town on Saturday.

The Black Cats took a first-half lead when Abdoullah Ba set up Jack Clarke to score his 13th goal of the season with an excellent strike. Ipswich drew level before the interval, though, when the ball deflected into the path of Kayden Jackson to score. 

After a needless Adil Aouchiche foul, Conor Chaplin then headed home the hosts’ winning goal 15 minutes from time when he was left unmarked in the box to convert Leif Davis’ free-kick.

Asked if it was a cheap foul from Aouchiche, McAnuff said: "Yeah, absolutely. You just have to keep him going there. He had nowhere to go and he has bailed him out. I mean, listen, fantastic quality but it was way too easy though.

"If you are Sunderland and Michael Beale and this ball is coming into the box and it falls to Conor Chaplin... it is great contact, a good header but there is absolutely no way he should be that free in the middle of the box six-yeards out from goal."

Asked why Chaplin would be left free in the box from a Sunderland point of view, former Southampton manager Jones responded: "Two things for me. One, their starting position is too deep. It is an outswinger. It's only one one, there's not two on the ball. Their starting position is way too deep.

"And then, what they have done is they've gone they've gone part zonal and because they're deep, he is just stood in a pocket and no one can get to him. So, one, their starting position is too deep and there's only one line of zonal not two so there's a free header. He's not the most dominant in the air but he's a good technician."

"It is a good bit of movement," McAnuff added of goalscorer Chaplin. "There's a couple who have run in ahead of him to take the Sunderland defenders away."

"But that took the line even deeper, Jones responded. "Exactly," added McAnuff. "And it forced them even deeper."