Simon Grayson refused to make excuses following Sunderland’s 3-0 defeat at Barnsley, stating his players simply weren’t good enough.
The Tykes were on the ropes for much of the opening stages but they delivered a sucker punch on the half-hour mark as Ike Ugbo turned the ball beyond Robbin Ruiter.
Harvey Barnes added a second soon after and George Moncur completed the scoring midway through the second period to ensure a second successive defeat for the Black Cats.
Speaking post-match, Grayson admitting his side failed to take their chances and let their heads drop.
“The scoreline reflects that we weren’t good enough.
“I thought for 25 minutes we played very well and created some good chances, but when you’re on top you have to take those chances as we’ve spoken about a few times now.”
He continued: “The first one went in and one or two heads went down which reflected in the performance from then.
“You think that things have been moving along in a positive direction since the start of the season, but obviously this is a reminder to everybody about what’s required.
“Barnsley worked hard today, put their bodies on the line and they made it difficult for us, and that’s what you have to do in the Championship.
“They [the fans] showed their commitment to the players for 25 minutes but after that it [our performance] wasn’t acceptable and rightfully so the supporters vented their frustration.
“They want to see the team perform and they didn’t see that in the hour after the first goal went in.”