Sunderland remain bottom of the Premier League after a 0-0 draw with Leeds United at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, which extended their winless run in the top flight to six games.
The point did at least stop the rot, because it ended a run of four straight Premier League defeats, although they stay in 20th place and only move a point closer to Nottingham Forest and Coventry City.
Storm Boelo made for an awkward afternoon. Strong winds played a factor in an even match that had little quality.
Brian Brobbey, Sunderland’s leading scorer, came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s penalty claim at the other end was waved away.
The best chances fell late on. Sean Longstaff came on in the 89th minute and forced Robin Roefs into a good save, then saw a shot blocked by Luke O’Nien in injury time after Noah Okafor squared the ball.
Regis Le Bris was pleased with the effort and the improvement on the previous weekend’s defeat at Bournemouth. He said he got the intensity he had asked for during the week.
"Tight game, intense,” he said. “Again, it's a good team. They’ve built momentum at the beginning of this Premier League. We are struggling a little bit.
“So the most important thing was to be Sunderland. I think we showed intensity, togetherness, and consistency. We avoided those unforced errors we committed, probably the last games.
“It was important to be really disciplined, consistent, and waiting for the opportunity. So this is great, and after that, the weather wasn't easy to manage.
"But we showed on the ball some great things, created small chances, but it wasn't enough to win it.”
