A tight contest at the Stadium of Light was decided by Enzo Le Fee’s first-half penalty. The Blues enjoyed plenty of possession and territory, especially after the break, but couldn’t create clear opportunities against a resolute Black Cats rearguard.

Besides one outstanding save in the second period to deny Wilson Isidor, Penders didn’t have a great deal to do, either. But the damage had been done and one goal proved enough for Sunderland’s second league win of the season.

‘Very disappointed with the result,’ Penders said. ‘You know when you come here to their stadium that it will be a difficult game, and they fought very hard.

‘At one point, it went very fast from side to side. Sometimes we had control and, of course, in certain moments when you go higher up the pitch they will be very aggressive and the way they play is very difficult.

‘In the second half they dropped very low and had every man behind the ball, so we had a bit more control and we had to push. We had some chances, but it was difficult against 11 behind the ball to find the right spaces. We kept pushing, especially in the last 15 minutes, we kept dropping balls at them, but it wasn’t enough.’

With domestic action pausing for the international break, there is now a brief window to reset before we host Leeds on 21 November. For Penders, the key now is maintaining collective belief and building on the positive elements of recent performances ahead of our return to action later this month.

‘If you watch some of the last games, we played pretty well,’ said Penders. ‘The structure is getting better and it’s a pity that we have lost this game.

‘It’s a matter of staying together. I think we’ve had some good games, but after losing these games, we have to stick together. It’s the international break now, so we can calm our heads, and when we come back we need to all be motivated and go again.’