Sam Allardyce bids to instil belief in nervy Sunderland

Stoke City 1 Sunderland 1

The Black Cats boss felt nerves were to blame for his side’s below-par performance in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Stoke.

The considerable consolation was the point they gained thanks to Jermain Defoe’s injury-time penalty, although Newcastle’s victory over Crystal Palace meant Sunderland dropped back into the bottom three.