'It could have been more' Sunderland claim as skipper hails control factor at Boro
Dan Neil produced one of his best displays in a Sunderland shirt this season as the Black Cats beat Middlesbrough 3-2. The club’s skipper chipped in with a goal, albeit hugely deflected, and played a full part in a magnificent victory and he relished his battles in the middle of the park.
He believes that Sunderland showed, by coming from behind, they have the resilience required to stay on the coattails of the top two, Leeds United and Sheffield United.
It was Neil who instigated the stunning comeback. After falling behind in the opening stages of the game, the skipper took it upon himself to drag his team level with that deflected strike from the edge of the box.
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From then on, Wilson Isidor’s cool finish put the visitors in front before Hayden Hackney’s equaliser. In the closing stages of the game, Sunderland provided enough pressure to score a third with Ryan Giles putting the ball in his own net from 12 yards after outstanding work from Enzo Le Fee.
After the game, Neil said: “We said we had to weather the first 20 minutes and we didn’t quite do that but we bounced back from that first goal. From then on, we were in control of the game.
“It ended 3-2 but it could have been more. We had a lot of chances in the second half to kill the game off and we let them back into it with a sloppy bit of play from ourselves. We could have easily folded after their crowd gets up but we didn’t and we managed to come away with three points.”
“I think it was the whole team that stepped it up a gear. We’ve done that a lot this season when we haven't started well and a goal kicks us into gear. Once that first goal went in, the whole team stepped up the tempo and the urgency. From then on I thought we were in complete control.”
"It was Enzo’s best game in a Sunderland shirt so far. It will take a few weeks for him to show his real quality. Some of his touches showed his class and why he has played at a higher level. Everyone was emotional at the end because they have put so much into it. I think the lads got a bit carried away with the celebrations but we know it was a big three points.”
