But he is confident the Wearsiders will get back to winning ways if they continue to keep their standards as high as they were at Spurs on Saturday.

The Black Cats were lacking only a finishing touch after dominating for long spells at White Hart Lane before going down 2-0 – their second defeat in three games since beating Liverpool at home.

And they'll have to do without in-form Turner against red-hot Arsenal on Saturday week after he collected a fifth booking of the season, to activate an automatic one-match ban.

Turner said: "The goals were flying in for us in the first few games, but we might have used up our luck with that goal against Liverpool because nothing has dropped for us since then.

"We put in a great performance on Saturday and limited Spurs to very few chances.

"We created a few chances, and should have put at least one of them away.

"I had a chance but didn't finish it, and we need to make the most of those opportunities.

"I think we're playing pretty well, so it's frustrating that we are getting the wins I think we deserve.

"We certainly shouldn't have lost on Saturday."

Sunderland will look back on a big moment in the match, when Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes escaped a red card for bringing down Darren Bent in the box.

Referee Kevin Friend showed only a yellow card, and Gomes went on to save Bent's spot-kick to deny the visitors an equaliser.

"I don't understand how it wasn't a sending off," said the confused Turner.

"Benty's gone past the keeper and had a left-foot shot into an empty net if he wasn't brought down.

"It was a massive moment in the game, and it went against us because Gomes then made the save.

"I don't really have many complaints about my booking.

"I thought Jermain Defoe handled it and I was kind of appealing for that when he turned and I clipped him.

"It was probably the right decision by the ref."

Suspension against the Gunners robs Turner of his proud record of playing every Premier League game this season and last.

"It's a shame, but it seems to be quite easy to get booked at the moment, and I have to take it on the chin," he said.

"I only got three or four bookings all last season and haven't changed my approach, so it's disappointing to pick up a ban quite early in the season."