Sunderland AFC midfielder Steven Pienaar has said that the Black Cats rue the missed opportunities which saw them suffer a narrow 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Moyes still searching for the first win
David Moyes' side traveled to North London still in search of their first league win of the season, and were still left waiting as a solitary goal from Harry Kane sealed a win for the home side over a ten-man Sunderland side, following the dismissal of Adnan Januzaj.
The former South African international came very close to giving the Wearsiders the lead just before the break, with his goalbound effort cleared off the line, and after the game Pienaar shared his disappointment at the defeat.
He admitted that "it was going to be a hard game against a very good team who keep the ball well" yet Sunderland still had chances to secure something from the game. “I had one and if you don’t take them, and give a silly goal away, it’s going to hurt you" he told safc.com.
He continued by saying that he and his teammates "need to keep fighting," making sure they "pick up points as soon as possible." Pienaar admitted that Moyes praised the side for the effort they put in during the game, before saying that “we just have to keep going and take our chances."
Pienaar concluded: “We didn’t (take our chances) today and we were punished so it is fine margins, but we’re in it as a team and we will keep working hard for each other."
Affecting the spirit
It isn't the start that Moyes would have wanted to his tenure at the Stadium of Light, after being appointed following the departure of England manager Sam Allardyce, and club captain Lee Cattermole, admitted that the constant swapping of both managers and players has affected the club's spirit.
The skipper said that "it's very difficult" due to the fact that the club "make a number of changes" and it causes you to "lose your team spirit" due to the fact that there are "a lot of new faces."
He told Sky Sports News: "I just have to look at Sunderland in recent years, we have made a lot of changes - for one reason or another - and that makes it difficult for us."
Sunderland will take on QPR in the third round of the EFL Cup at Loftus Road on Wednesday, September 21 with kick-off at 7:45pm BST.