SUNDERLAND manager Alex Neil admitted that they had no one to blame but themselves at Hillsborough in a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday that saw them exit the Carabao Cup at the earliest stage.

A much changed side that saw eleven changes couldn’t muster the inspiration from the weekend as the Black Cats’ 18 match unbeaten run came to an end.

Most of the players that featured in tonight’s game had not had much game time this season in their opening two games and it showed on a lacklustre evening in the blue side of Sheffield.

Neil summed up the game by saying: “I'm disappointed because I felt we were mostly the makes of our own downfall.

“We didn't really get carved apart too often, it was only really when we made a mistake for the goal, we give the ball away and then the lad chops onto his 'wrong' foot and sticks it in from 30 yards. They probably had their best spell for seven, eight minutes after that.”

Sunderland were not dominated in the game but failed to really carve out many openings in the game in a side that had players out of position during the game.

Neil continued: “We controlled the ball without threatening, but that's my responsibility and my burden. I've got Jack Diamond who is a wide player playing centre forward, I've got Harrison Sohna who is a midfielder playing left wing-back. I just felt with the physical output we've put in the last two league games, I didn't want to expose them. We've got a taxing schedule coming up.

“We know we can move the ball better. I've got standards and an expectancy of where I think we should be, but I think there were mitigating factors for the players we had out there. 

“When we're playing, Jack is up there on his own so we lacked a threat. You're then retaining the ball without really going anywhere, you've got a full back playing one of the wing back roles and a midfielder in the other. It's tough for those lads and then the rest of the time.”

Next up for Sunderland is a home tie against Queens Park Rangers in the Championship and they now don’t have a home game until January when the FA Cup makes a return.