Sunderland fan blog: Why Tony Mowbray's side will bounce back against Middlesbrough

Pre-match, Sunderland head coach Tony Mowbray was worried about how his side would react to a Swansea side that is dominant both on and off the ball, but the Black Cats had responded fairly well.

Yet, ultimately, this game swung upon two controversial moments within one fairly rapid passage of play.

The Black Cats felt aggrieved that they had not received a penalty when Amad Diallo was fouled within the area by Ryan Manning, and their frustration caused that rash moment on the halfway line.

Whether it was a yellow or red-card offence is a matter that can be debated long into the days and weeks remaining of this campaign, but an indecisive referee was ultimately persuaded by the Swans players to dismiss O’Nien.

And from there, there only really looked like one winner, but that wasn’t to say that there wasn’t any optimism to be taken from this resilient Sunderland display. They hung on rather comprehensively for over 30 minutes after the dismissal, but were undone by some very, very questionable refereeing and an over-powering opposition.

There was a moment within this contest where it felt Sunderland just may be able to defy the odds and nick something from the game – an up-beat Stadium of Light atmosphere had looked to claw Mowbray’s side back into a fighting chance, but arguably a young, maturing side were caught out by their lack of experience in these situations.

For all the Black Cats could defend, they missed an outlet in attack. The removal of Patrick Roberts to make up for the O’Nien dismissal proving decisive, while Diallo and Ross Stewart both struggled to make any impact.

But, the character and resilience of this crop of players is one to be taken as a positive. This is a dip in the road for Mowbray and his men – one of those “dark days” that he referenced upon his arrival – but if this performance showed anything, it is that there will be a reaction on Sunday.