I just watched Sunderland's shock FA Cup defeat to Port Vale - this is what went wrong

It has been a brilliant campaign for Sunderland so far but this was by far the worst day of it, the Black Cats deservedly dumped out the FA Cup by League One strugglers Port Vale.

Sunderland lacked the intensity and the quality to get past their spirited opposition, who took the lead from a set piece and in truth never looked like relinquishing it. The visitors played with a surprising lack of energy with the prize of a quarter final on the line, lacking intensity until the very latter stages of the contest.

Even then, it was Port Vale who looked as likely to score again on the break, the packed out away end watching on in despair as countless crosses and passes flew out for a goal kick. Sunderland did create one or two good openings from set plays and will feel they should have got on the scoreboard, but over the course of 90 minutes their performance fell well short. Port Vale, ten points from safety in the third tier, were worthy of their place in the last eight.

Le Bris had picked as strong a side as he possibly could in the circumstances, though his ten senior absentees through either injury or suspension meant he had very little depth and experience on the bench. It was an XI that the Black Cats would still have expected to have enough in the game, even if they knew they were in for a stern test on a very difficult Vale Park pitch.

Sunderland started brightly and were closing to take the lead inside ten minutes when Enzo Le Fee whipped in a lovely cross, goalkeeper Joe Gauci coming to claim but getting nowhere near it. Mayenda rose highest to meet the loose ball, but could only nod his effort off the foot of the near post. It was a big early chance missed for Sunderland, who from the off found it difficult to build up from open play. The pitch made it risky to play through central areas, and Port Vale defended the wings resolutely. It meant that goalmouth action in the first half was limited and set pieces were clearly going to be key. The positive for Sunderland through the relatively sedate opening exchanges was that physically they were competing well as they needed to, with Omar Alderete dominant in dealing with the numerous long balls forward. Port Vale had been spirited without creating little, but Sunderland invited unnecessary pressure when Luke O'Nien fired a backpass towards his own goal. O'Nien overhit it, and Melker Ellborg had to do exceptionally well to race back and turn an acrobatic header over his own cross bar. The danger wasn't over though, Sunderland surviving the first two corners into their box but not the third. An attempted effort from Brown was blocked but Ben Waine was quickest to react, looping a smart header over the outstretched palm of Ellborg and into the far corner. The Swedish goalkeeper got something to it, but couldn't keep it out of his own net.

Sunderland were bang up against it, the visitors unsurprisingly buoyed by the goal. Aside from Mayenda's header off the post they had created little, though they had a decent chance when Alderete turned away from pressure and played a pass over the top. Diarra raced onto it and beat Gauci, but could only turn his chip wide of the far post. Sunderland began to see more possession higher up the pitch as the half drew to a close, but aside from a low Diarra cross that no one could convert, they created little with it. Gauci had few saves to make it and though physically Sunderland had largely competed, their intensity and quality in possession had been well short of what was required. They reached the interval behind and with a lot of work to do to prevent a major cup shock.

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Sunderland started the second half with the intensity that had been lacking for too much of the first, a set piece almost yielding an equaliser when Diarra had an effort cleared off the line before Talbi’s follow up was gathered by Gauci. The Black Cats were applying more pressure on the home box but Vale were dealing very easily with their set plays and almsot went 2-0 up when they sprang quickly on the break. Substitute George Hall raced through on goal and was taken out by Ellborg, with a lengthy VAR check backing the referee’s decision that he had not denied a goalscoring opportunity. Hall was moving away from goal with Geertruida getting back in as cover, but the move was undoubtedly a huge let off for Sunderland.

Le Bris turned to his one obvious substitute, bringing on Wilson Isidor and switching to a 4-4-2 shape. Sunderland forged two big chances from the set plays that had previously been well defender, Ballard twice heading over from good deliveries from Le Fee.

They were the best chances Sunderland were able to forge, Le Bris’s side surprisingly lacklustre in possession right through the contest. Not even the late introduction of Granit Xhaka could spark a turnaround, with the Black Cats consistently unable to find the quality they need to test the Port Vale defence. The pitch caused them issues, undoubtedly, but was not an excuse for the performance they produced. They deserved to lose - and have let a major opportunity pass them by.

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