The latest Sunderland news, via Robbie Fenwick.

Sunderland missed Granit Xhaka’s control in their shock 1-0 defeat at Port Vale on Sunday, according to former Premier League striker Glenn Murray.

A Ben Waine looping header was the difference for Vale who sit bottom of League One despite Régis Le Bris only making two changes from the side that beat Leeds United on Tuesday.

The Black Cats last travelled to Vale Park in 2021 - winning 2-1 in the Carabao Cup - and they hoped for a similar result on Sunday which would have sent them to their first FA Cup quarter-final in more than a decade. But despite having 17 shots on the Port Vale goal, Le Bris’ side were unable to unlock the Valiants’ defence and missed a bit of ‘quality’ according to former Sunderland midfielder Andy Reid.

“We know Sunderland are going to be in the Premier League next year so this is in a lot of ways a free hit where they could go and really concentrate on it [the FA Cup],” Reid said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “They put out as strong a team as possible and they just never really got going today in terms of any quality,” he added.

Match of the Day’s verdict on Sunderland’s exit

Xhaka started from the bench again for the Black Cats and was only subbed on in the closing stages, with Le Bris saying they must manage the 33-year-old’s workload. Xhaka’s control in midfield was something the Black Cats missed, according to former Brighton striker Glenn Murray.

“If there’s one man you need when you have got a lot of possession it’s probably the man they left on the bench - Granit Xhaka - who can actually control the tempo of the game,” he said on Sunday’s Match of the Day.

The Black Cats have struggled to break teams down when the onus is on them to create. Out of the 35 games where Sunderland have had over 50% of possession under Régis Le Bris - they have lost 16 and only won 11.

Former Arsenal striker Ellen White said: “When they possessed the ball they couldn’t quite figure out or have that end product. “They’ve done very well in the Premier League but when you’re coming up against a League One opposition it’s a tricky one for them but they should be dominating. They should be putting all their eggs in the basket to progress as far as they can in the competition.”

“It’s completely the opposite to what they’re used to in the Premier League, teams coming at them and they can play on the counter-attack. That's what that team is designed to do [with] the profile of the players,” Murray added.

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