Sunderland lost their first home game of the season against Hull City on Saturday afternoon

Régis Le Bris says Sunderland need to ask some ‘serious questions’ after dropping more points at home to Hull City at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats lost their unbeaten home record after Anthony Patterson’s own goal midway through the first half, with the Sunderland goalkeeper unable to prevent to claw away Joe Gelhardt’s corner. Le Bris says his team are making too many ‘silly mistakes’ and that he will need to analyse it in the days ahead.

Le Bris said he was happy with the application of his players but that they aren’t getting the small details right.

“The energy of the team was good to begin with,” Le Bris said.

“It was positive and they tried to start the game properly. The own goal changed the dynamic of the game because after that, the opponent used a low, compact block and it was a different problem. I think we tried to break this low block, but we didn’t find a solution.

“It was disappointing to concede like that. In this kind of a game, silly mistakes can change many things. It happened, and for sure, we have to think about these mistakes because we have to improve our game. It is not like a coincidence now. I am not saying it is predictable, but at the same time, we have to ask some serious questions. At the same time, I think the energy of the group was okay. We tried, but it wasn’t enough to find a solution.

“When a goalkeeper or a striker makes a mistake, it always has big consequences. It is a little bit different if you are a midfielder or a centre-back or a winger. You can miss your cross, and maybe it is a huge mistake, but the consequences are not the same. That is not the case if you are a goalkeeper or a forward, and you have to accept that.”

Sunderland’s woe was compounded by both Enzo Le Fée and Dan Ballard picking up hamstring injuries in the game. Le Bris was forced to withdraw Le Fée at half time, with Ballard following within minutes of the second half.

The pair will be assessed tomorrow and though Romaine Mundle’s return is a major positive, it is a significant concern for the Black Cats.

“Enzo’s problem is probably with his hamstrings,” Le Bris said.

“We will have to see whether it is serious or not tomorrow. Dan Ballard has a similar issue. It is obviously disappointing, but I think the dynamic of the season is like that. You have players in, and players out. Romaine was in today, and that is good news, so we have to face up to these different challenges.

“We have a small group,” he added. That can be a positive, because everyone is really involved, but at the same time, when we have injuries, we know that we can have a bit of a lack of depth in certain positions. That is just the characteristic of the squad this year. There are positives and negatives, we just have to try to manage things properly.”

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