Steven Pienaar admitted Sunderland were made to rue missed chances and defensive lapses as a trip to Tottenham Hotspur ended in defeat.
The South African saw an effort cleared off the line on the stroke of half-time at White Hart Lane, with the Black Cats’ resilience finally broken as Harry Kane capatalised on a defensive error to seal victory for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Adnan Januzaj was also sent off but the Lads remained in the game until the final whistle – something they failed to against Everton – and Pienaar believes there were positives to take from the encounter.
“We knew it was going to be a hard game against a very good team who keep the ball well, but we had our chances in the game.
“I had one and if you don’t take them, and give a silly goal away, it’s going to hurt you and it’s going to cost you.”
He continued: “We need to keep fighting and make sure we pick up points as soon as possible.
“The manager said that as long as you put in the effort there is nothing more you can do, and that if you do that it will happen so we just have to keep going and take our chances.
“We didn’t today and we were punished so it is fine margins, but we’re in it as a team and we will keep working hard for each other.
