Sunderland manager Michael Beale was “bitterly disappointed” with his side’s 2-1 defeat to the Blues, feeling that the Black Cats only had themselves to blame for their naivety.

Town came from a goal down to record a double over the Wearsiders, the Blues having won by the same scoreline at the Stadium of Light on the opening weekend of the season.

“It was a good game, two good teams,” Beale said. “As the away team coming here, seventh in the league against the team second, I thought we had enough of the game to get a result out of it.

“I thought we had two big chances before we scored in the first half and obviously the big miss at the start of the second half [by Adil Aouchiche].

“And then how naive we are to give away a free-kick when the boy’s facing the stand [Aouchiche having fouled Leif Davis]. It was a poor decision to give the free-kick away, but then the smallest player on the pitch [Conor Chaplin] has had a free header in the middle of the goal.

“We’ve got ourselves to blame. It was a game with two good teams giving each other problems and going at each other. It was a refreshing game, I thought, it would have been a good game for the neutral.

“But it’s our naivety that’s cost us the points tonight and if we’d have gone back up the road with one point, we’d have had ifs and buts about chances that we’d had, so to go up the road with nothing is really disappointing.”

He added: “To lose the game to a set play is really disappointing. It’s been an area that we’ve been quite good at of late.

“I think in the nine or 10 games, I’ve not had any issues, so it’s disappointing that it rears its head today because as the away team there were moments in the first half where we did well.

“There were one or two areas where I thought we were sloppy and at the start of the second half Ipswich came for us, but we had the big moment with Adil. We had more than one big moment, I think he and Joe [Jobe Bellingham] get in one another’s way in another big chance as well.

“So it’s disappointing, I feel as the away manager, we should have taken something from this game. I’m sure Kieran [McKenna]’s delighted as the home manager and felt his team deserved it as well because I think the game was finally balanced and it’s bitterly disappointing for us.”

Quizzed on whether Abdoullah Ba could feel unfortunate to have been replaced by the luckless Aouchiche, the former Rangers and QPR boss conceded: “Yeah, maybe, but then Adil comes on and gets a big moment and if he takes then it is the right decision. That's why this is a game of fine margins.

“It’s disappointing tonight. I think when you lose a game, we can pick holes and everything, but we’re sat here saying ‘How did we lose that game?’. That’s the consensus from the TV, ‘You had enough of the game to get a result out of it’, so it wasn’t all wrong.

“I just think we were very, very naive in a big moment in the game and it’s fine margins and you could see how much it meant to Ipswich at the end to beat us, how much the three points were to them. Just in that one moment on the set play, it’s got to mean more to us.”

Photo: TWTD

bobble added 23:14 - Jan 13 ouch...
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Phil1969 added 23:25 - Jan 13 Yes it did mean a lot not it’s Sunderland but a poke in the ribs to the doubters we are still here. Yes second best we were the better side.
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Woolfenthen added 23:35 - Jan 13 Would have been a tougher game if Mogga was boss
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barrystedmunds added 23:48 - Jan 13 Beale has bigger problems then cheap shots at us; a complete fan base who doesn’t want him there for starters.
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Europablue added 01:38 - Jan 14 You never know because we really should have had a penalty and if they were unlucky, the fella O'nien could have been sent off for an elbow to Jackson's face.
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Mr_Jingles added 08:19 - Jan 14 Laughable that they sacked Mogga, just to bring this guy in.
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Edmundo added 09:05 - Jan 14 Many of the teams who have changed boss since we last beat them will have problems: Sunderland made the mistake of letting us play our game. KM will always get us playing better than the opposition if allowed. We can do this - COME ON!!!
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keighleyblue added 09:39 - Jan 14 Contrast the way he throws his players under the bus, vs McKenna.
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therein61 added 14:53 - Jan 14 The guy likes the sound of his own voice too much to build any form of relationship with players he has proved this wherever he' been what a pr8tt
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FromIpswichToPhoenix added 18:39 - Jan 14 I feel the away manager of the away team at the away stadium is disappointed in how his away team disappointed him by their away performance at the away stadium.
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KiwiBlue2 added 20:47 - Jan 14 I was amused by his comment about Chappers 'the smallest player on the pitch....' I would say that Connor's physical status does not however reflect the size of his heart. Inch for inch and pound for pound he is a great player, in the Eric Gates mould....... go Connor...... coyb
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KiwiBlue2 added 03:07 - Jan 15 I think on the balance of real chances we would still have won by 4-2 or 4-3. I suspect that Sunderland will have real cause to regret the dumping of Mogga as the season progresses and they are overtaken by others..,.
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Bert added 12:07 - Jan 15 In any game a manager can point to missed chances, poor decisions etc but at the end of the day it is the team that puts the ball in the net that wins. Sunderland are a very good team but if Clarke goes they will have lost their main outlet.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 13:53 - Jan 15 Sunderland were a good team in this game and played well. But we were better, especially second half. We also hit the post and had a reasonable penalty shout denied. We deserved to win. I suppose opposing managers are not allowed to say that, but it would be a breath of fresh air if some of them didn't trot out the same old rose-tinted garbage every time they lose. You lost - get over it!

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