I just watched Sunderland's poor performance against Watford and here's what I think went wrong

They should have won it late on, though whether they would have deserved it would have been another matter.

Wilson Isidor and Milan Aleksic spurned two good chances to take three points from a contest in which they delivered under-par performance. The visitors had controlled possession for the majority of a game, keeping a Sunderland side well short of their best away from dangerous areas. In the end, only set pieces and a poor end to the game from Watford helped preserve Sunderland's unbeaten home record.

Watford had come into the game in poor form and with persistent speculation surrounding the future of their head coach Tom Cleverley, but you couldn't really tell from the composed performance the visitors produced throughout the first half.

Sunderland struggled to apply pressure on the ball, the Hornets actually controlling possession for the vast majority of proceedings. There was one flash of inspiration from Enzo Le Fee to open up a shooting opportunity for Chris Rigg, but otherwise the Black Cats were struggling to get on the front foot. The hosts were comfortable in that Watford's possession was mostly well away from the Sunderland goal, and they took the lead when they sprung a rapid counter from Watford's own free kick deep in Sunderland's half. Isidor carried the ball to the edge of the box, where Roberts saw a free kick deflected out for a corner. Le Fee delivered a excellent ball to the back post, where Hume was left unmarked. His volley back across goal where O'Nien stooped to head home.

The goal was arguably harsh on Watford, but Sunderland never really threatened to take advantage through the course of the half.

Watford continue to keep the ball with relative ease, Giorgi Chakvetadze's excellent dribbling on the left flank a real outlet for them.

And though they had come into the game concerned about the lack of a senior striker due to injuries, 18-year-old Mamadou Doumbia was proving a real handful on his senior debut. He forced a brilliant save from Patterson when he rose to meet a corner inside the box, winning a penalty when he showed good persistence to follow in and draw a foul seconds later. It was a sloppy challenge from Sunderland's perspective, and a deserved equaliser.

The Black Cats didn't learn their lesson, sloppy play allowing Watford to break within a minute of the game restarting to take the lead. It was a stunning finish from Imran Louza, curling into top corner from 25 yards. What followed from Sunderland was a panicked performance, the home side guilty of trying to force an opening too early and constantly coughing up possession. Watford were comfortable, content to take the sting out of the game when they won the ball. From Sunderland's perspective that was too often.

Le Bris made a raft of attacking substitutions, moving Le Fee into the middle and then Mayenda up front to go to two strikers. Sunderland got worse rather than better, lacking any kind of structure and as such, unable to apply consistent pressure. It was a set piece that again undid Watford, a clever flick from Isidor allowing Cirkin to convert.

Watford had introduced another defender to try and see out the game and in truth it probably worked against them, allowing Sunderland to build up play a little easier and apply more pressure. The Black Cats had two huge chances to win it, both Isidor and Aleksic firing straight at the goalkeeper when they burst through on goal.

In truth they'd have been slightly fortunate winners, having created so little throughout the game aside from set pieces. Throughout the game, they lacked the control they needed to consistently apply pressure.