Alex Neil hailed his players as 'brilliant' despite Sunderland's unbeaten start to life in the Championship coming to an end at Sheffield United.
The Black Cats were beaten 2-1 by the Blades at Bramall Lane, with the turning point coming on the half-hour mark when midfielder Dan Neil was sent off for a professional foul leaving his teammates to fight on shorthanded against one of the best teams in the division and Sheffield immediately made Sunderland pay as Anel Ahmedhodzic headed them in front.
But, result aside, Neil was full of praise for his team. "I don't have any mixed emotions at all," he said.
"I have pride in the players and how they went about it. I've got absolutely no complaints in terms of what the players offered up, I thought they were brilliant.
READ MORE: Sheffield United 2-1 Sunderland player ratings as Patterson stands out after Neil's costly red card
"We made an error in the game which can happen, particularly if you are going to try risk the ball like we did. We made a mistake, they capitalised on it, we had a man sent off, and the job becomes really, really difficult at that point.
"I thought the way the lads went about it, their effort, their understanding in being a man down but still trying to play and offer a threat when we had the opportunity to do so, I thought the effort levels were through the roof, really.
"Sheffield United are a very, very, good team and for 30 minutes we more than matched them - if anything, I think we arguably looked a bit more threatening at times in that spell. But after that [the red card] obviously it is difficult."
The red card was pivotal but, while Neil acknowledged his namesake's mistake, he refused to point the finger of blame at the 20-year-old. He said: "I thought he was brilliant up until that point.
"He landed on things, he made tackles, he covered the ground well, he found really good positions. All the bits we asked him to do, he did really, really well.
"Unfortunately for him, it was a slippery surface, the ball comes in and it just takes off his left foot. It happens. It's a learning curve for him. We're frustrated and disappointed for him because we know how good he is and, until he went off, he was great."
The hosts added a second goal within a couple of minutes of the second half kicking off, and that was the biggest frustration for Neil, albeit his team responded by pulling a goal back quickly through Lynden Gooch.
"The one frustration I do have is the timing of the second goal," he said.
"When you come out and you have got ten men, you need to keep the next 10-15 minutes as tight as you can to give yourself an opportunity to go and nick it. But I thought our response to that, to get the next goal, was really good and that gave us fuel to see the rest of the game out and cause them a threat.
"It's difficult for me to find a negative, but I managed to find one with the timing of the second goal! But as far as we are concerned, in terms of where we are, newly promoted, with a couple of defensive players missing tonight, to go down to ten men and still fight and battle and scrap and force our way into the game, I really don't think you can ask any more of them.
"I think they left every single thing on the pitch. What really pleased me is that we made five substitutions, guys coming on at a tough time in the game when it looked like we might be on a hiding to nothing but their application and effort for the team and for the club, the supporters, was absolutely tops."
The headaches are beginning to pile up for Neil, however, with defender Daniel Ballard sidelined for the foreseeable future with a fractured foot, key midfielder Corry Evans absent at Bramall Lane due to injury, and now Dan Neil set to miss this weekend's trip to Stoke City through suspension.
Asked about Evans, Neil said: "Corry is out at the moment. I've not got a timeframe on that, but with Dan Ballard out, Corry out, it becomes difficult, doesn't it?"
READ NEXT:
- Sheffield United 2-1 Sunderland report as ten-man Black Cats' unbeaten start comes to an end
- Alex Neil warns Sunderland they will face a 'next level' team when they visit Sheffield United
- Alex Neil on how the 'almighty dollar' always speaks loudest in the transfer market
- Alex Neil reveals frustration behind the scenes at slow pace of Sunderland's transfer progress
- Sunderland suffer a second defensive injury, forcing Alex Neil to adjust transfer priorities
