Phil Smith's verdict: Making sense of a Sunderland win that offered some frustration and some major positives

It was interesting because for much of the contest, watching on you felt a similar level of frustration and concern.

Neil, quite rightly, pointed out that his side had utterly dominated the game in terms of territory and possession.

Yet it was also fair for Crewe Alexandra boss David Artell to point out that his side had arguably, through the first 80 minutes of the game at least, had some of the best openings.

Early in the second half Josh Lundstram volleyed over the bar from close range, before striker Chris Long spurned two genuine 1-v-1 opportunities. The first in particular was a gilt-edged opening, his composure deserting him as he took the shot on too early and blazed high and wide of Anthony Patterson's goal.

Ultimately, that poor finishing was the reason Sunderland were not left staring down the barrel of another damaging home result as the game entered its closing stages. By this point, Sunderland had barely registered a shot on target.

Neil had been encouraged by the late show against Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night, Sunderland showing more character and incision on the ball after a switch to a very aggressive 3-5-2 system.

So it was little surprise that he went with a similar shape and personnel to begin with, Corry Evans playing ahead of Elliot Embleton being the only change.

This time, though, Sunderland lacked creativity. Too often it was a case of either playing sideways across the back five, or forward far too early.

Ross Stewart won a lot of his individual aerial duels, but the movement around him was poor and in particular the crossing from wide areas left a lot to be desired.

In picking Luke O'Nien as the number ten and in handing Jermain Defoe another start, Neil's belief seemed to be that Sunderland could overwhelm their opponents with Stewart's aerial dominance and others running beyond him.

The end result was that the visitors, adrift at the bottom of League One and with a remarkably inexperienced defence, looked fairly comfortable.

It was tough fare, possession coughed up too easily and momentum hard to come by as a result.

Neil said it was not a poor performance in his view, but conceded that the inability to turn such a dominance of possession into clearcut openings was something that he would reflect on.

Yet few would dispute his overall verdict that right now for Sunderland what matters is the win, and it was the second time in a matter of days that the introduction of attacking substitutes made all the difference.

Leon Dajaku brought width and direct running, while Dan Neil and Patrick Roberts both underlined their individual quality.

Neither have been anywhere near their sharpest during Neil's tenure, the former because he has played too much this season and the latter because he has not played anywhere near enough.

But Neil now looks refreshed, and Roberts sharp.

The opener came not just because of the 20-year-old's superb first-time finish, but because of his ambition in beginning the move. With Crewe camped behind the ball as they had been all game, Neil picked the ball up near the halfway line and carried it through the heart of the pitch, before finding Stewart in the box with an incisive pass.

Roberts' finish was a cut above the level, the end of an excellent move as that opening goal finally forced Crewe to yield the space in which the home side's attacking players could thrive.If you were understandably concerned by Sunderland's approach and play through the first hour, then there was comfort to be taken from these lively cameos.

Slowly but surely Neil's options in forward areas are growing, and the capacity to change the flow of the game from the bench could be key in the closing stages of the regular season.

If Nathan Broadhead is able to return in the near future as expected, then Sunderland should boast a dynamism both in the starting XI and from the bench that will be beyond most opponents.

Neil noted that in his post-match comments, noting that he had executed a game plan similar to Crewe's in the role of the underdog as both a player and manager. It's in the final 30 minutes, he said, that physical and mental fatigue begins to kick in and that is when the hosts have to capitalise. Sunderland did, just about.

What is also undeniable is that another clean sheet demonstrated that Neil is improving the platform from which those attacking players operate. It was the biggest flaw in the side he inherited by a distance, and even amidst injury and fatigue the new head coach has made inroads in correcting it.

Neil is still learning about his players, and perhaps that goes some way to explaining the inconsistency in both style and performance from game to game.

The positive is that four the last fortnight the results have been relatively consistent, and with teams in the play-off race continuing to thrive they have needed to be.

This was not a performance that left you feeling significantly more confident about Sunderland's promotion hopes this season, but within that there were definite positives to take.

Neil and his side have kept themselves in the race, and for now at least, that is enough to be going on with.

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