Key claim assessed, potential turning point for sub and big problem persists: Phil Smith's Sunderland AFC conclusions

Sunderland fell to another Championship defeat against Leicester City on Tuesday night.

Here, Phil Smith delivers his five conclusions from the game...

DODDS DELIVERS UPBEAT VERDICT - BUT FAMILIAR CHALLENGES REMAIN

Mike Dodds raised a few eyebrows with a bullish post-match press conference, saying his team's second-half performance was 'sensational' in how it limited Leicester City's threat. He also insisted that his team were on the brink of a winning run, despite their fifth defeat in as many games.

Dodds no doubt feels it was the right moment to try and take some of the pressure of a losing run away from his players, and to try and build some confidence ahead of a testing trip to Southampton. It's also fair to praise Sunderland's players for a significantly improved performance after the interval, even if Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca said that the fatigue in his side as a major factor in their inability to get up the pitch.

Perhaps the most alarming thing from a Sunderland perspective was that despite their control of the second half, they still struggled to create clear chances inside the box. Their best effort was a Trai Hume long-range effort, and Mads Hermansen had little to do otherwise. Luis Hemir struggled to impact the contest even if again the service to him was mixed, and Romaine Mundle finishing the game as the striker was another reminded of this team's fundamentally biggest flaw.

Dodds was right to draw attention to that second half and draw a line in the sand, saying that the aggression and intent of the performance has to the bare minimum for a Sunderland side. It's something to build on even as the campaign quickly drifts, but you can forgive any supporter struggling to see the positives when their team threatens the goal so little. This was the eighth time since Boxing Day that they have registered an XG below 1 in a Championship fixture. That makes a winning run hard to imagine, even if the last two performances show the winning run will come to an end in the not too distant future.

WHY DODDS TENURE SO FAR DOES NEED TO BE PUT INTO CONTEXT

Dodds said after the game that he feels he can't catch a break, and availability had undeniably been a major part of his tenure so far.

The interim boss is acutely aware that he has struggled to turn around Sunderland's form, and that first half against Swansea City increasingly looks as if it was a major missed opportunity for which he knows he shoulders some of the blame. It's also fair to say that that just about any head coach would struggle to deal with the absence of Patrick Roberts, Jack Clarke, Dan Ballard and Alex Pritchard. The ongoing absences of Dennis Cirkin and Aji Alese are also having a clear impact as Leo Hjelde settles into a new club. Luke O'Nien's tenth booking of the season in this game means he will now be missing for two games, meaning Dodds loses yet another senior player.

What this bruising run has underlined above all else is that the squad depth beyond those established players simply isn't there right now, and so any discussion of what has gone wrong has to start at the top of the club. It's also true that two of his three games in charge have seen the team start the game very poorly, something they can ill-afford given their struggles at the top end of the pitch.

AOUCHICHE TAKES HIS CHANCE

Though Sunderland did improve in the second half, it wasn't until Adil Aouchiche's arrival that they began to make something tangible of their promising play. He was at the heart of all their best openings, laying up Trai Hume for his long-range strike that hit the woodwork and playing in Dan Ballard for that late penalty claim. He also takes a good set piece, which has been lacking since Pritchard's departure for Birmingham City.

In short, given Sunderland's attacking struggles he made a fairly overwhelming case for more minutes. Dodds says his improved 'concentration and focus' behind the scenes is the reason for his return, and made a point of singling him out for praise in his post-match press conference. The interim head coach clearly hopes this is something of a turning point and the next challenge is to impact games from the start.

CHRIS RIGG MAKES HIS MARK

Dodds revealed after the game that he had planned to take Rigg off after an hour, but the midfielder was growing into the contest so impressively that he ended up playing over 80 minutes. Dodds was clearly reluctant to withdraw him even then. It was an eye-catching performance from the 16-year-old, who did not look out of place against a team packed with Premier League talent to begin with and in the second half was one of the best performers on the pitch.

Dodds faces a challenge in not pushing a player so young too far, too soon but to hand him more starts in the near future looks like a total no-brainer. It will help cement his long-term future at the club and on this evidence, bring some much needed energy to the side in the short term. If he starts again on Saturday, it will be on merit - a remarkable thing to say about someone so young.

FANS STICK WITH THE TEAM

The atmosphere in the final half hour here was genuinely excellent. There can often be a lot of external discussion about the Stadium of Light sometimes being a difficult place to play but despite the team being on course for a fifth successive defeat and the campaign clearly all but over, it took only some small signs of encouragement for the crowd to roar their team on right until the final whistle and beyond.

The application from the players in the second half was good but it was another night that reflected how those fans have been let down in 2024 so far - to lose this many games in a row at this level is simply not good enough.