Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's defeat to Brighton and these were my key conclusions

Sunderland were beaten 1-0 by Brighton at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

Phil Smith was there reporting for The Echo and these were his key conclusions...

Sunderland struggle to recapture 'Til The End magic once more

Particularly on home turf, Sunderland have for much of this season proved remarkably effective at coming out on the right side of tight games. It speaks to their resilience and their strong defensive platform, but along the way there has of course been that crucial little bit of luck. This game ultimately proved the inverse, a result settled by two correct but tight calls that went against Sunderland.

They were not dominant or free-flowing here by any stretch of the imagination, but with an extensive injury list competed well with Brighton up until Yankuba's Minteh mishit cross flew into the back of the net. The visitors did have the best chance of the first half, with Jack Hinshelwood denied by an excellent Melker Ellborg save, and there was a spell of 20 minutes when their movement and passing looked a little too good for Sunderland. The hosts had their moments though, particularly either side of half time, and Chris Rigg's strike that was ultimately ruled out for offside was in no way against the run of play. Were Omar Alderete not inches offside when nodding the ball into Rigg's path, there's every chance Sunderland would have gone on to make it three positive Premier League results in a row.

Yet it's undeniably true that pretty much from the moment the visitors got in front, this was a tough watch from a Sunderland perspective. Even at their best and with everyone available, this is not a side that looks convincing against a side who have dropped into their defensive shape. The feeling around the Stadium of Light as Sunderland tried to chase the game through eight minutes of stoppage time was a world away from where it was in similar scenarios earlier this season and it wasn't hard to understand why: the hosts just did not for a second look like scoring here. Régis Le Bris's decision not to introduce Wilson Isidor as he manages an injury issue drew criticism and while that is fair, it's also fair to point out that the head coach did not have proven options elsewhere in the squad. Sunderland's squad is severely stretched and at the moment, simply not as strong as the teams around around them in the table of which Brighton are one. It's a tough situation and one that is exacerbating the pre-existing weak points in this side.

In the long run it's abundantly clear that Sunderland need to add better attacking patterns to their strong defensive foundations, and to improve the depth of their group. The issue is that they face Newcastle United on Sunday and then have seven games in which they are not necessarily going to have those solutions. Le Bris has steered Sunderland to a superb season, but he has work to do to prevent it fizzling out.

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Chris Rigg takes his chance with impressive performance

If there was one very obvious and one very big positive for Sunderland on this frustrating afternoon it was that Chris Rigg looked at Premier League level like the player that so impressed in the Championship last season. Tenacious and dependable in duels, physically competitive and a persistent threat on the ball. It has been a tough season for Rigg and that is no great concern in itself, it is a huge step up to this level and there's a reason why there aren't too many 18-year-olds featuring consistently at this level. Rigg will all the same have sensed that injuries to Nilson Angulo and Enzo Le Fée presented him with a massive opportunity, and he looked a different player to the one who had struggled in the right-wing role at Brentford on his last Premier League appearance at the turn of the year.

With Angulo, Bertrand Traoré and Jocelin Ta Bi all sidelined for an extended period, there is a real opportunity for Rigg to get starts under his belt between now and the rest of the campaign, with Nordi Mukiele then potentially offering the width and overlapping runs for him to combine with when the defender is fit again. While the day was ultimately marked by disappointment as his first Premier League was ultimately ruled out, Rigg might well look back at it as a real breakthrough in his journey. It's a platform to build on, undoubtedly.

Sunderland have some major calls to make next week

Le Bris was clearly keen not to give too much away regarding Dan Ballard's second-half injury, but confirmed there was a hamstring issue and that is yet another worry for Sunderland ahead of next weekend's Tyne-Wear derby. Reinildo is expected to resume full training on Sunday, so should be available to return to the starting XI without major risk and that will be a big boost for the Black Cats. Granit Xhaka and Brian Brobbey should be better for another full week of training and if Brobbey can play 90 minutes, Sunderland's prospects improve immediately.

Elsewhere, though, Sunderland are stretched and will have some big calls to make. Robin Roefs and Nordi Mukiele are both in a race to feature and if they do, Sunderland know they will be running the risk of a recurrence. The same will likely apply to Enzo Le Fée, if as expected he features at St James' Park. Le Bris and Sunderland have to weigh up the prospect of potentially losing these players for a longer spell, or send out an underpowered side for the most important game left this season. Externally, those of a Sunderland persuasion will likely settle on the side of taking the risk, and it will be fascinating to see what course is in the end taken internally.

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