Romaine Mundle felt Sunderland deserved more after fighting back to 2-2 at Southampton, his first goal in red and white starting the comeback but admits it was 'bittersweet' as the Black Cats limped to a sixth defeat in a row.
Mundle's second-half strike kicked Sunderland into gear, fighting back from two goals down to level after looking dead and buried at the interval.
A Joe Rothwell brace wrapped up all three points for the Saints, but Mundle felt that Sunderland were deserving of more from the game.
READ MORE: Mike Dodds' Sunderland blueprint after positive Leicester display
"I think it’s a bittersweet moment but I care more about the team than myself," Mundle said post-match. "I felt that we should have came away with more than we have.
"In the second half I thought we were brilliant, we just let ourselves down with the two goals. I think we deserved more in the second half from the way we played. The first half wasn’t good enough."
Sunderland's second half performance was vastly improved compared to their performance before the interval, with Jan Bednarek taking home the man-of-the-match award for the hosts, a sign of the Black Cats' improvement.
"They played well at the back, but also when it was 2-2 I thought we were going to get another goal and turn it around," Mundle said. "It’s just football and we’ve been on the receiving end of it. I thought the lads were amazing in the second half. We’ve just got to keep working hard.
"We always felt like if we were going to grab a goal back we were going to win it. We’re a group that will stick together to the end even with the results not going our way.
"We’re always going to stick together and I felt we were rewarded with the two goals. I felt we were going to get a third but it went the other way."
Recommended reading:
It was a quiet start to his seventh appearance for the Black Cats, and although they were on the wrong side of the result, Mundle is pleased to be starting games in the Championship even after a frantic start to life on Wearside.
"I’m definitely pleased [to be getting starts] I’m just enjoying it at the moment," he said. "I’m working hard to see if I can get more goals and assists.
"I’ve adapted to it to be honest. It’s part of the game. A lot has happened in a short space of time but it’s how you overcome it. It’ll definitely make you or break you as a player, it’s up to you to decide how you’re going to take it."
Read the rules here