Tony Mowbray delivers this verdict on Sunderland's defeat - what went wrong and the big positive he's taking

The Black Cats were comprehensively outplayed through the opening exchanges of the game, with Ollie Cooper scoring a deflected early goal. Mowbray's side were just about playing their way back into it when they conceded again on the stroke of half time through Harry Darling, but they dominated the early stages of the second half and got back in the game through Jack Clarke's goal.

They pushed hard but ultimately fell short and the head coach says their second-half showing again underlined that they can find a way to compete against any opponent.

It was clearly the set-piece goal on the brink of the interval that most frustrated Mowbray: "We decided to try and keep playing how we play, we know how they play, they play a box in midfield and overload you - it was just whether we change everything that we've been doing to try and match them up.

"Sometimes you do that but we wanted to give the team an opportunity to see if they could go and get on top of them and create our own overload in the wide areas. Ultimately they played through us too comfortably and came out on top on in the first half, they were always able to get their spare player on the ball and push us back.

"We tinkered with it at half time and managed to wrestle the game back, we pushed hard for an equaliser.

"We have to take the encouragement of the second half, the second goal was a really poor goal for us to lose so late in the half, a basic set play that we'd talked about and showed the players before the game. It was basic, elementary stuff and it shouldn't have happened.

"What was pleasing was the reaction to that. Swansea are one of the form teams in the league, we came here and after having problems in the first half managed to wrestle some control back.

"It wasn't enough in the end.

"We had to try and upset their rhythm which we managed to do in the second half - we have to accept that they were very good in the first half.

"This team - ultimately I don't think anyone expects us to go and win every away game and be a top, top team in this league at this stage. They've come from League One and as long as they believe that they are in there fighting against every time and they're not outclassed, it's important to have that. Whoever we play we feel like we can get a result and we almost did today.

"The second goal is frustrating for us because it's a simple set play, but I must say they are a very well coached team with good players and it's no mistake that they've won five of their last six games."

Sunderland face Wigan Athletic at the Stadium of Light next Saturday as they look to get back to winning ways.