Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris agrees with Frank Lampard as he makes Coventry City admission

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris admitted Coventry City “controlled large parts” of the play-off semi-final second leg at the Stadium of Light.

Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues lost 3-2 to the Black Cats on aggregate over the two-legged semi-final.

Having lost 2-1 at the CBS Arena in the first leg, Ephron Mason-Clark levelled the tie up at 2-2 in the second leg, but Sunderland won the tie with a goal from Dan Ballard in injury time at the end of extra time, as Coventry were defeated in the cruellest fashion.

Speaking after the final whistle, Le Bris said: “It was fantastic. That late winner - what a moment.

“For the fans, and for everyone who loves Sunderland, it was probably the most powerful way to experience it right to the end.

“As a coach, it was tough. After the first leg, I think we were a bit nervous. We were caught between two mindsets: do we go and attack, or do we sit back and defend?

“To be fair, Coventry were good. They controlled large parts of the game, and their performance was deserved.

“We made a couple of changes to rebalance the team with a different shape. From there, we dominated extra time and probably deserved to score in that moment.

“The players never gave up. They’re always connected. There’s a really special character in this team. Even when we’re not at our best with the ball, we’re still incredibly hard to beat.

“Because of that character and togetherness, we can still believe.”

Lampard had made it clear he felt his side were “the better team” over the two legs.

“We came here with absolute bravery to play the way we played,” said the City boss. “They had to concede to us because of the way we played, the way we controlled the game.

“I am a lot older and been around a lot, taken whacks and so I can be a tiny bit more balanced but I feel for the players because they don’t deserve that. But congratulations to Sunderland but we were the better team over the two football matches. That’s absolutely clear and that’s why they will be so happy that they have won that match. They’re going to Wembley but in a football sense, pride. Massive pride.”

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