Tony Mowbray admits Sunderland could not maintain their intensity levels in the second half as Burnley overturned a 2-0 deficit to win at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats were outstanding in the first period against a side that was two divisions above them last season, and deservedly led at the break thanks to goals from Amad and Dan Neil.
But the second period was a different story as Nathan Tella, Manuel Benson, Anass Zaroury, and Josh Brownhill, scored for the Clarets to turn the game on its head. "The first half was about intensity from us - intensity to stop a good football team from playing," said Mowbray.
"We tried to ask question of them, they play a very high line, they try to impose themselves on you, push a lot of players against your back line with their full-backs playing high. We decided not to be the team that plays 5-4-1 against them and lets them have 70 percent possession.
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"We had a go, really, played on the front foot and got the rewards for that. In the second half, it was very hard to maintain that intensity level and their quality came through.
"When you are 2-0 down [as Burnley were] and then you get a goal, it gives you a huge injection of energy and drive and emotion, and they could probably smell it. It was the opposite for us - we were probably in protect mode, rather than keeping on doing what we had in the first half when we were aggressive.
"It happens in real-time in front of you and it's very difficult to change."
The goal that gave Burnley a route back into the match came just five minutes into the second half and it came from a corner, and Mowbray has spoken frequently in recent weeks about Sunderland's lack of height and how it has proved costly in set-piece situations. He said: "That first goal was a set-play and we've been through that - I can't turn 5ft 7in midfielders and attacking players into 6ft 3in players who can deal with their big defenders.
"We didn't make first contact, they made first contact and they scored. Ross Stewart is 6ft 3in and helps immensely at set-plays, Ellis Simms the same, Dan Ballard, Aji Alese, the same, but they are not there at the moment due to injury.
"Instead we had Corry Evans who is 5ft 8in marking people. It's where we are the moment. It's not rocket science - it's very hard to stop them making first contact.
"The only big header over 6ft we've got is Danny Batth."
While the focus is why Sunderland's were unable to repeat their fine first-half display, Mowbray says Burnley also deserve credit. He said: "All the analysis for this game suggests that they are the best team we are going to play with their slow build-up from the back, and I thought we disrupted that really well in the first half.
"There were lots of positives in the first half, but we're really frustrated and disappointed about the second. The game ran away from us.
"We'll have to regroup and go again next week at Luton."
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