REGIS LE BRIS admits that Sunderland will have to “evolve” their attacking play after failing to score for a fourth time in six games in their 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United.

The Black Cats dominated for long spells at Bramall Lane in a game that saw both sides finish with ten men after Chris Mepham was sent off for the visitors and Harry Souttar was dismissed for the hosts.

Le Bris was broadly satisfied with his side’s performance, with Patrick Roberts’ failure to convert a first-half penalty ultimately proving decisive.

But while the Black Cats boss did not feel his side deserved to lose for the first time in 11 matches, he admits a failure to convert chances and make the most of a dominant position is starting to become a concern.

“It’s a real mixture of emotions,” said Le Bris. “I think we did well. We played the game we wanted to play, really. It’s clear that we had to manage the opposition because they wanted to play through us, then after ten minutes or so, the problem was solved and progressively we got better and better. Then finally, we dominated the game.

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“We created some chances, but at the minute, the problem we have is that we can be dominant, but we don’t kill the game off when it is possible to do so. It was possible to do that this evening because we were dominant, but at the end, we were really frustrated and I was really frustrated by the score and the outcome of the game.

“The reality is that we have ended the evening with zero points. We got five points from the five games before with the same dynamic, but here we have not taken anything and that is really frustrating.”

While Le Bris once again opted to keep Eliezer Mayenda and Aaron Connolly on the bench, with Wilson Isidor continuing as the central striker, the Black Cats boss has hinted that changes could be in the offing as he looks to improve his side’s scoring record.

“We are here to win and we didn’t,” he said. “It was possible because we dominated a strong team, but when it is possible after a game like that, you have to win, but that wasn’t the case.

“We have to change that and evolve in a different way to find solutions. With so much quality on the pitch, we have to find another outcome or another way of enabling us to improve our output in the game.”

Le Bris did not want to comment on the two dismissals that changed the course of the game, even though Mepham’s red card for a foul on Tyrese Campbell looked harsh.

“It’s very difficult to judge on the pitch,” said the Black Cats boss. “It was one red card for one team and one for the other. It’s 1-1 I suppose, and it was another experience for us, having to play ten-against-ten. I thought we managed the situation properly.”