MEPHAM: PEN PROBLEM

Chris Mepham was surprised to see Luke O'Nien step up to take a penalty but isn't too keen on taking one himself. He also admitted that Sunderland needed to get back to basics at the weekend and the lads celebrated the clean sheet in the dressing rooms afterwards. Finally, Mepham singled out Alan Browne for praise as the central midfielder slotted in seamlessly at right back.

LUKE ON PENS...

"I'll probably take myself out of that situation! I was a little bit surprised (that O'Nien took it) but at the same time knowing the amount of work Luke puts in and the amount of extras, focusing on his technique and his striking of the ball, he's probably arguably the best to step up and take a penalty so I didn't have any doubts. But it's been a weird one with penalties this season, we've been unfortunate."

WELL EARNED CLEAN SHEET

"I don't think defensively we've been bad but we've probably came away as a team a bit from what got us to where we are. That's something we had in our heads before this game, doing the basics well and getting back to where we were at the start of the season, being so difficult to break down."

ALAN BROWNE

"I thought he was our best player, the way he slotted in. You know his experience at this level so there aren't any question marks but for him to make it look so comfortable, you would never have thought he was a centre midfielder playing there. He was a pleasure to play alongside. He's played a lot of games and you could see his know-how."