Sunderland beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground in their latest Premier League game on Saturday

Alan Shearer praised Sunderland's defensive application as they sealed their third win of the Premier League season at Nottingham Forest.

Omar Alderete's first-half goal saw the Black Cats secure a 1-0 win at the City Ground, meaning that they have now taken 11 points from six games. Shearer analysed the game on Saturday night's Match of the Day and though he felt the free kick that led to the goal was 'harsh' on Nicolas Dominguez and Nottingham Forest, he praised Sunderland's resilience in getting over the line.

Dominguez was penalised and booked for simulation as he and Trai Hume challenged for the ball, a decision that was criticised by Ange Postecoglou afterwards.

"I thought it was a bit harsh, and very harsh to give him a yellow card," Shearer said.

"There's a coming together, the referee has got a great view of it, you can see he's only ten yards away looking right at the decision. There might be a little bit of contact, he has to be absolutely spot on to say that it's a dive. Having said all that, they get the free kick and then work it extremely well. They work it well, a fantastic ball in, a really good run and that's what wins the game. As well as everyone putting a right shift in for their manager and for the away wins. There was a huge difference in possession, the number of shots faced, but Sunderland did everything to protect their goal and come away with the three points."

Shearer also praised Robin Roefs for his contribution to the win, with the Dutchman making some vital second-half saves.

"When they did go through the Sunderland defence, Roefs was the big difference again," Shearer said.

"He made some really, really important saves because Forest were putting pressure on. They have had a really good start to the season."

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Nottingham Forest defender claims he was fouled in build up to Sunderland goal

Nottingham Forest defender Neco Williams insisted after the game that Sunderland’s goal should not have stood, insisting he was fouled by Arthur Masuaku.

"It's a tough one to take," Williams told Sky Sports.

"It was a game where we just didn't finish off our chances. We created many chances but just couldn't put it to bed. We should have defended the free-kick better but, at the same time, I've never seen a referee give one of those free-kicks before in all my time of playing football. There was contact, so he got it wrong, and for the goal I was held back. He had two arms around my waist and that played a key factor in their goal. It is two poor decisions, especially by the referee and then the people on VAR.

"We kept going until the end. They didn't create many chances, we created many but the end product just wasn't there. We couldn't put our finishes to bed so it was just one of those games.

"We are working hard in training. We are still learning the style of the manager and, as soon as it clicks, we'll be good to go. We will get there but it's just about getting that first win."

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