I watched Sunderland's latest comeback win and here are the four key conclusions I drew

Sunderland came from behind for the fourth game in a row on Saturday, beating Norwich City 2-1 thanks to goals from Dan Ballard and Jobe Bellingham.

Phil Smith was there reporting for The Echo and here are his four key conclusions from Sunderland's performance...

SUNDERLAND GRIND OUT THE WIN IN LOW-QUALITY CONTEST

Afterwards, Régis Le Bris said he was left with a 'balanced' feeling. There was no doubt that this was a long way from the best performances of his tenure to date, and yet it was another example that there is a real character and resilience in this squad. The conditions didn't help what turned into a scrappy affair, and it was no coincidence that the team dominant in each half was the one attacking the North Stand with a vicious wind at their back.

Through the first 45 in particular, Norwich were rewarded for their bravery in playing through Sunderland's press and their resolute low block in the moments where they did lose possession. That Sunderland reached half time without having registered a shot on target was a reflection of how much they had struggled to find solutions. This week there was no great tactical master plan unveiled at half time, just some subtle tweaks to increase the intensity of the press and an honest acknowledgement that Sunderland needed to do more.

The statistics underline what was ultimately a poor game of very fine margins. The two sides registered an almost identical XG of 0.61 (Sunderland) and 0.62 (Norwich City) across the game, with four shots on target apiece. All three goals came either directly or indirectly from set piece situations.After Dan Ballard's equaliser the game became an open, scrappy contest in which it always felt like a mistake or a big call in what was an increasingly erratic refereeing performance would prove the difference. It proved to be the latter and though there was no doubt that Jose Cordoba's second yellow card was the right decision, the loss of control from the officials in the first half had long come to undermine the contest.

Sunderland know that to achieve their ambitions they are going to have to play better than this and that at some point, giving the opposition the advantage with a sloppy goal is going to cost them. But as Le Bris said afterwards, to win is the most important thing and this team appears to have that very happy knack of finding ways to win points. In the long grind of the Championship winter, it's not a quality to be overlooked. And there was genuine quality in Jobe's winner, too, not just the finish but the way he anticipated and evaded the attempted sliding block from Jack Stacey. Two of Sunderland's last three home games have been played in genuinely atrocious conditions and to have won both is a good achievement.

LE BRIS BACKS IN ISIDOR AGAIN

There will undoubtedly be some rotation up front over the festive period, as it's simply not realistic to expect Wilson Isidor to play every game in a hugely demanding schedule. Eliezer Mayenda showed how dangerous he can be through the middle in the latter stages here and in his pre-match press conference. Le Bris opened the door to giving Aaron Connolly more minutes by praising his recent performances in training.

Le Bris nevertheless shows no sign of losing faith in Isidor despite his goalless run extending, with one particularly big chance going begging in the second half. The head coach insisted that it was just a matter of time before Isidor scored again and praised his all-round contributions. Rightly so, too. Last season Sunderland's problems up front were not just a lack of goals but a lack of any real contribution from their centre forward. Even in a lean spell Isidor runs relentlessly and finds ways to impact the game, with his nice touch just after half time allowing Eliezer Mayenda to cross for Dan Ballard to head home.

It's increasingly clear that Sunderland will look to strengthen in this position next month and it could be key to their promotion hopes, but Isidor still has credit in the bank.

MAYENDA'S STOCK CONTINUES TO RISE

Mayenda's assist for Ballard's equaliser was a deserved reward for his lively showings in recent weeks, which are all the more impressive given the way in which he has had to move across the frontline both from game to game and within them. The 19-year-old still had a lot of development to find a real level of consistency and particularly in the unfamiliar wing roles, but his direct style could be vital for a team trying to find ways through deep-lying defences.

He has also in the last two games had four very good efforts from relatively close range in the closing stages, denied only by some good goalkeeping. Mayenda is going to be a fixture in the side over the festive period and don't be surprised if he soon adds his third goal of the season.

IF ADIL AOUCHICHE LEAVES - HE CAN DO SO WITH HEAD HELD HIGH

The closing stages were probably not as comfortable as they ought to have been given that Sunderland had a one-man advantage, at least not until the seven minutes of added time in which the Black Cats largely dominated possession and actually had the better chances.

Key to that was another intelligent cameo from Adil Aouchiche, who almost assisted Eliezer Mayenda on a couple of occasions and struck a nice balance between winding down the clock and exploiting the gaps in Norwich's defence. It's hard to imagine this making a difference to his long-term future at the club, Romaine Mundle will be back in early January and the 22-year-old is not going to be content settling for a few minutes here and there out of position. But if he does go in January, he'll do so with the respect of the Sunderland fanbase for the way he has plugged away and contributed in a tricky period for him personally.