DISAPPOINTED Sunderland manager Peter Reid admitted after his side's shock 4-2 Worthington Cup exit at Hillsborough last night: "We haven't really played well this season."

The Wearside boss made changes to his line-up for the game against struggling First Division Sheffield Wednesday but he said: "We started with six internationals in the side and that's not bad.

"We have made changes in the past in the competition and this time it hasn't worked, but that's football.

"The players are not happy to get knocked out but they will get their heads up and get ready for our game at Aston Villa on Sunday."

Reid felt that the cup tie could have gone either way and did not criticise his 21-year-old keeper Michael Ingham for his error which gave Wednesday their second goal.

He said: "Ingham made two smashing saves near the death which took the tie into extra time and he handled it quite well after being a bit nervy early on.

"He made a wrong decision but the more goalkeepers play the more of those kind of decisions they seem to get right. There is only one way to learn and that is out on the pitch.

"He has got a lot of promise."

A sensational extra-time goal by Sheffield Wednesday substitute Michele Di Piedi sent Sunderland crashing out.

The game had gone into extra time at 2-2 after England striker Kevin Phillips had missed a second-half penalty before £3.6m French striker Lilian Laslandes grabbed a 75th-minute equaliser - his first goal for the club.

It looked as though the Premiership side's class would tell but the long-haired Italian broke the deadlock with an awesome strike from 22 yards, an overhead kick with his back to goal.

Sunderland, with six changes to the starting line-up which beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0, had twice come from behind against their opponents, who just couldn't seem to press home their advantage as they battled their way through.

Stand-in goalkeeper Ingham was punished for an error of judgement which saw Wednesday go in 2-1 up at half-time, but the youngster more than made up for it later in the game when he kept the home side at bay with two inspired saves.

It was thrill-a-minute stuff for the 12,037 crowd and after Laslandes had hammered a right-foot shot off the under side of the bar, Wednesday grabbed a fourth goal in the last minute of first half injury time when former Newcastle trialist Pablo Bonvin crashed home a 20-yard right-foot shot.

The home side had went ahead in the 29th minute when a long throw on the right from Leigh Bromby wasn't cleared in a melee near the penalty spot and Efan Ekoku was on hand to drive his fierce right-foot shot wide of the helpless Ingham.

Sunderland equalised in the 43rd minute through Phillips. A mix-up between Pressman and Westwood gifted the Wearsiders a corner on the right and Arca's kick was swept into the middle by Kilbane for Phillips to stab the ball home at the far post for his third goal of the season.

A bad mistake by Ingham allowed the home side to regain the lead in the first minute of first-half stoppage time. He hesitated momentarily about coming for a through ball from Johnson and was forced to bring down Ekoku as the striker won possession. Merseyside referee George Cain pointed straight to the spot and Morrison, taking a short run-up, crashed his penalty high into the roof of the net. Sunderland missed a penalty in the 53rd minute. Phillips' fierce right foot shot was saved by Pressman.

Sunderland sub Laslandes equalised in the 75th minute with a header from six yards. and the match went to extra-time. But Di Piedi and Argentinian Bonvin sealed victory for the hosts.

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