Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's dramatic defeat at Aston Villa and these were my key conclusions

Sunderland fell to a late defeat at Villa Park on Sunday as Tammy Abraham’s stoppage-time goal led to a 4-3 win for Aston Villa.

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

Habib Diarra misses his big moment - but the signs of improvement are clear

Noah Sadiki spoke with a maturity beyond his years after the game when asked to address the defining moment of the game, as Emiliano Martinez threw up a hand to claw away Habib Diarra’s attempted chip. Had it gone in, it would have been a moment of delirium for Sunderland bettered only by Brian Brobbey’s late goal at St James’ Park this season, completing a quite sensational turnaround. Instead, Aston Villa snatched the winner at the other end inside a minute

Sadiki noted the mistake but said it was important not to ‘throw away’ Diarra’s whole performance. He was right. Diarra missed a golden opportunity here but the last two games have shown clear signs of improvement. His running in behind the opposition defence has been a persistent threat for his team, and led to the initial equaliser as he played a cross that Sadiki turned into Chris Rigg’s path. Moments before his miss, he’d made another good run and fired in a dangerous cross that Wilson Isidor may well have converted had he not lost his footing in a tussle with Ezri Konsa. Diarra is getting better, and helping Sunderland become more dangerous.

The debate around his performances are of course shaped by the huge fee Sunderland paid to sign him from Strasbourg, which explains why he is being held to a high standard. To that end, criticism after such a moment as this is inevitable. The bigger picture is that Diarra is starting to look more like the player Sunderland had hoped they’d signed now he is getting a sustained run of starts, but the final hurdle is clearly cutting edge in the final third.

After a strong showing against Spurs, there was more room for encouragement here even if his late miss will clearly dominate the headlines.

Sunderland spurn golden opportunity - but Aston Villa were good value for the points

The disappointment of Sunderland’s late defeat here, particularly when they had been presented with such a golden opportunity to win it, was crystallised looking at the table the next morning. A win would have taken the Black Cats into a remarkable sixth place in the Premier League table, with a home game up next and then a trip to face a Wolves side rooted to the bottom of the league. Sunderland’s season will be a spectacular success whatever happens between now and the end of the campaign, but three points would have taken them to new heights.

Even so, it’s only fair to note that Aston Villa looked for the vast majority of this game every inch a Champions League team. Sunderland will rue two lapses of concentration early in each half, but not every team would have the power and the quality to punish them as ruthlessly as Aston Villa were able to here. Their second goal was one of real quality, grinding Sunderland down with a period of controlled pressure before striking when the visitors switched off. They probably should have put the game to bed after their third goal, and there’s no doubt that the primary driver of Sunderland’s unlikely initial comeback was the dip in intensity that came with Ollie Watkins and John McGinn being taken off by Unai Emery. Régis Le Bris and his side deserve credit for staying in the game and seizing their opportunity, but the difference in finishing and at times in power was a reflection of the gap Sunderland still have to bridge to the teams at the top of this league.

In their first season back at Premier League level that’s entirely understandable and there are many in the Sunderland squad who can take inspiration from Watkins and McGinn who have with time and dedication developed from EFL stars to elite level players.

Sunderland are trending in the right direction

Even if we acknowledge that Aston Villa did on the whole deserve this win, we can still take a lot of encouragement from the fact that Sunderland created so many chances over the course of the 90 minutes. For a spell either side of their initial equaliser, Sunderland also showed a pleasing ability to control the ball and manage the tempo of the game. Granit Xhaka is of course pivotal to that, but Enzo Le Fée’s consistently good delivery through the closing stages of the game was further evidence of the quality the club have in their ranks.

They are far from the finished article, but across the last three away games there are clear signs of progress. They have taken four points against three strong opponents, and scored five goals having previously only scored eight in 14. That hasn’t been about luck, either, in all three games they have had difficult moments but have also troubled the opposition and not just from set pieces.

Sunderland are growing in confidence and the evidence is now there that when they have their best players fit, they can be a match for just about everyone, anywhere. Add a bit more depth in the summer transfer window and there are increasingly reasons to believe a major drop off in their second campaign is far from inevitable.

The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.

Chris Rigg gets his deserved breakthrough moment

Rigg deserves immense credit for his persistence during his time out of the side at the turn of the year, and his brilliant goal is one that has been coming for a few weeks now. Aston Villa struggled with his footwork and positioning throughout the early stages and his first Premier League was thoroughly deserved.

Rigg still has much to improve and Aston Villa’s second goal was a reminder of that, but for an 18-year-old he is already playing at an extraordinary level. For Sunderland’s future it is hugely exciting.

Your next Sunderland read: Noah Sadiki delivers Sunderland dressing room verdict on Aston Villa defeat