Cambridge United boss Mark Bonner admits Sunderland 'put us to the sword' after his side was reduced to ten men inside the opening quarter-hour at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats won an early penalty when Ross Stewart was flattened by Lloyd Jones, with the U's defender shown a red card for denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity while Stewart tucked away the spot-kick to set Sunderland on their way to a 5-1 win.
Bonner felt the penalty was justified but that the red card was harsh - a view shared by his opposite number Alex Neil - and, while he described it as a turning point in the game, he did not seek to use it as an excuse, and praised Sunderland for their performance. "The turning point is obviously the red card," said Bonner, who later tipped either Sunderland or Sheffield Wednesday to win promotion through the play-offs.
"Sunderland started the game well, but we were trying to get some control of the game and an understanding of where we were. Then very soon after, we're one down, down to ten men, and an incredibly difficult task becomes, you don't want to say impossible, but almost impossible.
