Tony Mowbray insists Sunderland got the FA Cup win they deserved at Shrewsbury Town - even if they went about it in a strange way! The Black Cats dominated the majority of the game at the New Meadow but could not make the breakthrough, and when Matt Pennington headed the Shrews in front from a corner 10 minutes from time it looked as though Sunderland were heading for a third round exit.
But sub Ross Stewart and then Luke O'Nien scored in injury time to turn the game around, and book the Wearsiders a place in the fourth round draw. Mowbray smiled: "Luke is always telling me that he should be on penalties and free kicks!
"I keep saying, he's a wonderful guy and personality. From left back he pops up on the edge of the opposition box to ram one in, that's a great credit to him and the energy and drive he has to help our team get the result.
READ MORE: Patrick Roberts and Luke O'Nien star as Sunderland beat Shrewsbury in FA Cup third round
"I don't feel relief. We weren't in complete control for 90 minutes - the first 20 minutes was a bit end-to-end and we didn't deal with their directness as well as I would have liked early on - but then we took control for the last 25 minutes of the first half and we were in control for all of the second half.
"But I told them at half-time that we had to gamble in the box, we can't just keep passing it around the edge of the box. We did that better in the second half, we had more efforts at their goal, more shots, more crosses.
"I think their only hope of scoring was a set-piece, really - they've got a lot of big men and they kept on putting 6ft 4in people on the pitch as they brought subs on. I think it's the right result.
"I know there was a dramatic end because we scored two goals in a couple of minutes, but I think it was the right result so the feeling is not relief. I think we got what we deserved in the end, but it was a strange way to go about it."
Sunderland felt they were denied a stonewall penalty in the first half when Patrick Roberts was brought down inside the area by Luke Leahy, but referee Scott Oldham was unimpressed - and to add insult to injury, he decided Roberts had dived and booked him for simulation. Mowbray said: Patrick is quite upset to be honest because he thinks it is a stain on his character.
"I've seen a still of the incident and the boy is cleaning him out, basically, he is kicking him right on the shin. It's frustrating.
"I do moan about officials sometimes because I expect higher standards than we get some weeks. Patrick is upset to have been booked for diving when that's not his personality or his character."
There was no Leon Dajaku in the squad at Shrewsbury, and Mowbray revealed that the German forward was due to play up front until he pulled out with an injury on the eve of the trip.
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