Stoke City boss delivers interesting verdict on his Sunderland game plan and late Stadium of Light defeat

Stoke City boss Narcis Pelach was pleased with aspects of his side's performance at the Stadium of Light but was left frustrated by Tommy Watson's winner just moments after he had moved to shore up his side.

Pelach had just brought on an extra central defender when Sunderland struck on the counter attack, many of his players left high up the pitch trying to score a winner of their own. Pelach also rued his side's defending just moments after Lewis Koumas had given his side an early lead.

Pelach was nevertheless pleased with the application of the visitors.

"I'm disappointed, disappointed because we lose at the very end with a deflected goal," Pelach said.

"They had shots enough as well but we had our chances and moments as well. I'm disappointed because we conceded that goal just after we had scored as well. It's a situation we can avoid, we just need to win the ball in the air. He's competing for the ball in the air and no one went for it.

"We could have taken something from the game because at times we were good on the ball, trying to attack them and accelerate the action through the middle. We had some ball possession but then the chances we have; Michael Rose, Tom Cannon, Ashley Phillips, we could have done something else.

"But they are a good side as well. In the final third they have presence, they switch the ball fast and they have wingers who can do damage in one-on-one situations. We had people there blocking shots, a lot of bodies, but I'm disappointed with the result.

"Just a few moments before we had switched to a back five in order to send a message to the team that we would take a point - and if they [Sunderland] do something silly at the end we can take it because they have been six games without a win, they're at home and we tried to win going fast for the counter attack and Lewis Koumas is on but the ball slipped a little bit from [Viktor Johansson's] hand and it's what it is. We're young and we play the game with emotions and we just lost it in that moment."

The Stoke City boss was pleased his strategy to deny Sunderland the ball showed some signs of encouragement despite the end result.

Pelach said: "I wanted to have more of the ball and you know that they are good against counter-attacking teams, technically very good, they can put you very deep and if the game goes to the final third they are stronger than us. I wanted to get us into a situation where Sunderland were playing out from the back, I consider that's where we could be good in high press. I wanted the game to be like that if we could and the best way to do this is with offensive players, players with energy who can get forward and press. As well, when you have offensive players on the pitch - we played with one 10 as a number six and one 6/8 as a number six - you can have more of the ball. That's what we tried, to try to dominate the game with the ball knowing that we were playing against one of the best counter attacks in the league.

"I thought we did quite well. When we lost the ball we delayed it, got narrow and kept them wide. I'm not disappointed with the body language of the team, I think that the game plan was there, trying to calm down the stadium with the ball, playing with personality and having more of the ball than them. It's what we wanted to try to dominate the game. They have good players offensively but if they don't have the ball they cannot show it. This is what we wanted to do, have the ball and possession and make them jump and then when they jump, accelerate."