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Premier League: Sunderland boss Gus Poyet sees errors cost his side again

Gus Poyet chats with the fourth official - Sunderland v Arsenal
Image: Gus Poyet: Saw Sunderland drop more points on Saturday

Gus Poyet believes Sunderland improved markedly against Arsenal, but admits mistakes cannot keep happening.

Having seen his side hammered 8-0 at Southampton in their last Premier League outing, Poyet was demanding a positive response at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

I always say that I won’t change a player when he makes a mistake. But, of course, when it happens many, many times there are other players that will have a chance.
Gus Poyet

He got one, but still ended the game empty-handed.

There were no own goals against Arsenal, which had been part of the problem at St Mary’s, but costly errors still led to Sunderland’s demise.

Wes Brown presented Alexis Sanchez with a clear run on goal for the opener, before Vito Mannone bundled into the Chilean’s path in the closing stages as he wrapped up a 2-0 win for the visitors.

Poyet told Sky Sports afterwards when asked for his take on the game and his emotions after seeing his side once again shoot themselves in the foot: “It’s not easy to comment because if you take the two mistakes away, we defended well, we competed well as a group, we tried harder. We really tried our best against a team that will always control the ball.

"Saying that, I wasn’t expecting the two mistakes for the two goals that we conceded.

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Gus Poyet felt his side played well and were only undone by their own mistakes, but is backing goalkeeper Vito Mannone to recover.

"There is a little bit of disappointment in those terms because after everything that happened last weekend, you expect to not concede the goals that we conceded today."

Poyet resisted the urge to making sweeping changes to his side following the Southampton mauling, but admits that he may have to mix things up in an effort to cut out the mistakes.

He added: "I always say that I won’t change a player when he makes a mistake. But, of course, when it happens many, many times there are other players that will have a chance.

"We need to make sure that we don’t do it, maybe be a bit more simple, be a bit more ruthless in the way we defend and not always be trying to do the perfect things that maybe we have been."

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