Sunday 5 March 2017 20:24, UK
Sunderland manager David Moyes could not fault his players' effort despite Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City cutting them adrift at the foot of the Premier League.
The Black Cats matched Pep Guardiola's men for 42 minutes at the Stadium of Light until Sergio Aguero broke the deadlock just before half-time.
Leroy Sane struck just before the hour to seal a harder than expected victory for City, a result that left the Wearsiders in 20th position, six points from safety.
Moyes admitted the timing of City's opener proved crucial but chose to draw on the positives after the game ahead of the club's on-going fight against relegation.
"I couldn't fault the effort of my players, I have to praise them," he told Sky Sports. "Their effort was great and they did everything they could.
"They've been doing as well as they can in a lot of games but we lack the quality at times to make the difference.
"We tried to stop City with a game plan and for long parts of the game we made it work. I was disappointed with the timing of the first goal, coming three minutes before half-time.
"Things do change in football and you can get a little bit more luck. Hopefully that's to come in the coming games."
Sunderland now have just 11 games to secure their top-flight status and avoid relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.
Moyes hopes their familiarity with mounting a late survival push, coupled with the return of key first-team players, can help him repeat the feat.
"We're the ones who are chasing the pack, we have to try and catch the others up," he added. "We need to win games to get there.
"We've got games that will give us the opportunity to win, we have to show that we can do so. We only have one more game in March, with the rest coming in April.
"With a bit of luck we might have Jan Kirchoff, Victor Anichebe and Lee Cattermole back, and that will give us a help too.
"The players have had the experience of surviving before, so hopefully we can. Nobody in the dressing room is saying we're gone. We're far from it.
"We will stick at it, keep doing what we are doing and it will turn. We have to just hope our fortune changes in the coming weeks."
