While Sunderland would obviously have rather won in the FA Cup third round, losing to Stoke City on Saturday isn’t the worst thing to happen.
Sunderland took the tie all the way at the Stadium of Light, but an extra-time winner from Niall Ennis was enough to carry the Potters through to the next round.
The result may be a disappointing one for Regis Le Bris and his players, but you’ll struggle to find many Sunderland fans who are too downtrodden by the FA Cup exit.
Indeed, there is actually plenty to be positive about thanks to the game and the result, with one ‘solid’ Sunderland debutant impressing, another continuing his own good form, and the club getting a reprieve in their busy fixture list.
- READ MORE: Sunderland player ratings vs Stoke City as Dan Neil gets 4/10 and substitute receives high score
Adil Aouchiche continues to impress despite FA Cup defeat
Sunderland went in at half time trailing 1-0 to the visitors on Saturday afternoon, but the Black Cats pulled a goal back midway through the second half thanks to a Milan Aleksic effort.
It was a well-taken goal, made possible by a brilliant piece of creativity from Adil Aouchiche, who continues to step out of the shadows at Sunderland make himself a valuable member of Le Bris’ squad.
Aouchiche has surprised everyone of late with his displays, proving to be an effective winger at a time where wide options are limited for Le Bris due to injuries to Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson.
The Frenchman has now started the last four games, created plenty of chances, and has firmly put to bed any ideas of a Sunderland exit this month thanks to his performances.
Sunderland can focus on league duty now, while Leeds and Burnley remain distracted
The main positive to draw from this defeat is that Sunderland are now entirely without distraction in their pursuit of Championship glory for the rest of the season.
Sunderland are right on track for promotion now, and with 20 games to go, are just three points off Leeds United at the top of the table.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 26 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 48 | 19 | 29 | 53 |
| 2 |  BurnleyBurnley | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 31 | 9 | 22 | 52 |
| 3 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 36 | 17 | 19 | 52 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 26 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 39 | 22 | 17 | 50 |
| 5 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 43 | 32 | 11 | 41 |
| 6 |  West BromWest Brom | 26 | 9 | 13 | 4 | 32 | 21 | 11 | 40 |
The good news is, out of that four-horse race for promotion, both Leeds and Burnley progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup this weekend, meaning the top two sides in the division will be kept busy in February.
Sheffield United also made their exit in the third round after a home defeat to Cardiff City, which could be an issue for Sunderland further down the line, but with half of their promotion rivals committed to the cup, the Black Cats’ odds of going up just increased for sure.
Harrison Jones proves he will be a future star for Sunderland
One of the best elements of Le Bris’ team selection for the cup tie was the inclusion of Harrison Jones from the start for his senior debut.
The young midfielder put in a high quality performance, enough to get tongues wagging at the prospect of him one day becoming a first-team regular for Sunderland.
There’s talk of Jones going out on loan this month, and that would still seem to be the best decision for the Sunderland academy graduate right now, given the intense competition for places in the Black Cats’ midfield.
But, in 79 minutes on Saturday, we saw enough to know that Jones is the real deal, and that next season, he could have a big role to play under Le Bris.