Birmingham boss admits his side 'lost too many duels' in Sunderland defeat

Did Sunderland 'deserve' to beat Birmingham? John Eustace does not believe so.

John Eustace believed Birmingham ‘did not deserve to lose’ against Sunderland.

The Birmingham boss said ahead of the game that he was concerned that Sunderland would have an ‘unfair’ advantage in the clash due to the Blues battling fatigue following a midweek game.

Sunderland did end up winning the game, with goals from Ellis Simms and Amad Diallo securing a 2-1 success for the Black Cats at St Andrews.

It was far from a one-sided contest though, with Birmingham hitting the bar, having a shot cleared off the line and drawing two fine saves out of Anthony Patterson.

That left Eustace feeling his side had been a little badly done to, although he also wanted to take nothing away from Sunderland either.

“It was always going to be difficult at the end of a tough schedule,” Eustace told Sky Sports after the game.

“Two really sloppy moments didn’t help us. The [Birmingham] subs made a big impact but we gave ourselves too much to do. I don’t think we deserved to lose but credit to Sunderland.

“We lost too many duels and were ultimately out of position for the first - a good goal though. The second was very good. The lads have worked their socks off and are absolutely exhausted after a tough run of games. They’re in for a good rest now.”