Sunderland got another win under their belt thanks to a 2-1 victory over Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon, but Omer Riza doesn’t think it was a fair reflection of the game.
It seems the Black Cats are back on track after a blip in form recently, and the win today helps Regis Le Bris’ side keep the chasing pack in the play-off places at bay a little longer.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 35 | 22 | 10 | 3 | 72 | 22 | 50 | 76 |
| 2 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 36 | 24 | 6 | 6 | 51 | 27 | 24 | 76 |
| 3 |  BurnleyBurnley | 36 | 20 | 14 | 2 | 49 | 10 | 39 | 74 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 36 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 54 | 33 | 21 | 68 |
| 5 |  CoventryCoventry | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 52 | 46 | 6 | 56 |
| 6 |  West BromWest Brom | 36 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 46 | 32 | 14 | 55 |
Another star turn from Eliezer Mayenda got things running for Sunderland within the first two minutes of the game, but the home side were pegged back just before half-time.
However, a well-worked set-piece created a golden chance for Chris Mepham, who duly obliged by scoring his first goal for the Mackems and giving them the three points on the day.
Omer Riza unhappy with manner of Cardiff City defeat
Despite fears beforehand that Cardiff could sneak a win, the result was pretty much what anyone would have expected from a fourth-placed Sunderland team taking on relegation-threatened opponents.
But, speaking after the game (via Cardiff City’s official website), Bluebirds boss Omer Riza made the bold claim that his team deserved more on the day.
He said: “You come to places like this and if you leave with a point with the league as it is at the minute and looking at their form, you’d be happy. We should have come away with a point, and it’s one lapse of concentration again with the free-kick and it’s a simple ball between lines and across the box for a tap in.
“We don’t score goals like that, or get given cheap opportunities like that. We’re frustrated, as we had an opportunity to make it 2-1 to us. If we’d left with a point I think we would have been deserving of it.
“Ultimately, we’ve conceded a goal in a manner that I’m unhappy with, when we’ve worked so hard. We always say that when you come to these places you’ve got to be fully focussed, for 95 minutes of the game we were but switched off for that one moment and got punished for it.”
Statistics prove Omer Riza wrong, Sunderland were dominant
Yes, Cardiff had their moments in the game, and they certainly put Sunderland under real pressure at times, but there was only ever one team that really looked like winning this one and that’s the home side.
Sunderland have the numbers to prove it, too. The Black Cats came away with 58% of the overall possession statistics, and also registered an xG of 2.45 compared to the far inferior xG of 0.5 put up by the visitors.
| Sunderland | Statistics | Cardiff |
| 58% | Possession | 42% |
| 2.45 | xG | 0.5 |
| 19 | Shots | 6 |
| 4 | Shots on target | 2 |
| 461 | Passes | 334 |
While both teams had two big chances, it was Sunderland who had by far the most shots on the day, with 19 efforts to Cardiff’s six attempts. That said, Sunderland only got four of theirs on target, and really need to improve in that area if they want to put these games to bed sooner.
Thankfully, Mayenda played a blinder, and Le Bris’ men were able to see out the game. Was it easy? No. But did Sunderland deserve the three points? Absolutely.