Sunderland fell to their second Championship defeat of the season on Saturday as a late penalty earned Watford a 2-1 victory.
In a tight game, Wilson Isidor’s goal was unable to secure a point after Dan Neil made a terrible error in the box to give away a late penalty.
Many players struggled at Vicarage Road. Jobe Bellingham had a largely ineffective game against the Hornets.
However, Neil’s mistake was ultimately the costliest as Regis Le Bris’ side missed a chance to go top of the Championship.
Dan Neil accepts he ‘lost concentration’ in penalty error
With the game looking like it was heading for a draw, in the 84th minute Neil made a clumsy challenge which resulted in a penalty.
As a result, many Sunderland fans took to social media to voice their anger at Neil’s error which could prove to be costly come the end of the season.
However, after the game, Neil came out and openly admitted that his error was ‘daft’ in an honest assessment.
Speaking to safc.com post-match Neil, said: “I thought we started a little bit slow in the first 15-20 minutes.
“We made a slight adjustment tactically and figured it out for the last 10 minutes of the first half and the whole of the second half.
“We were really good and we were the better team. It was a daft mistake, a lack of concentration that cost us the game.
“We can take a lot of positives from the second half and take them into Tuesday and bounce back.”
“There were chances at both ends. They probably had the better of it in the first half, but we made a few last-ditch tackles and blocks.
“Trai Hume made a brilliant one in the first half, but I thought in the second period we dominated the game.”
Sunderland need Dan Neil back to his best
On his day, Neil is one of Sunderland’s best players. Not only is he a leader, but at just 22 years old, he has plenty of room to improve.
To see his form slump, and watch him make sloppy costly mistakes is far from ideal.
With a long season ahead, if Sunderland wants to stay in the promotion race, then they must help Neil regain his lost form.
Hopefully, in their upcoming clash against Derby County, the Stadium of Light faithful see a positive reaction.