READING FC were denied a valuable point on their travels after they conceded a late goal in defeat to Sunderland.
Patrick Roberts scored the only goal of the game which means The Royals have now gone six Championship games without picking up a win.
After 30 matches, Reading are in 17th position, nine points above the relegation places.
Paul Ince’s team were looking to fix their poor away form having gone five games in the Championship without a win despite producing an impressive comeback last week from 2-0 down against Watford to claim a point.
With central midfielder Mamadou Loum suspended for the next two matches, Tom McIntyre was shifted into midfield, while Baba Rahman, Naby Sarr, Andy Carroll and Amadou Mbengue returned to the starting line-up.
There was no place in the matchday squad for Tom Holmes who missed out with a calf injury.
Tom Ince tried his luck to try and get Reading off to the perfect start with the game less than a minute old, but wasn’t able to give Anthony Patterson anything to worry about after dragging his shot off target.
Much to the dismay of the home crowd inside the Stadium of Light, it was the visitors who did the early pressing when Shane Long’s cross fell into the path of Junior Hoilett who scuffed his shot wide.
Hoilett continued to cause problems going forward and latched onto the ball that was cleverly chested down by Long to win his team a corner.
Andy Yiadom picked up the first booking of the game, his ninth caution of the season,
There wasn’t much to separate the team’s throughout the whole of the first-half with neither able to create any clear cut openings as Ince hit a wild shot over the bar after Andy Carroll had flicked on from Amadou Mbengue’s long throw.
The Black Cats’ only real chance of the half came for Leeds United loanee Joe Gelhardt who only managed a tame header that landed straight in the arms of Joe Lumley as the team’s went in goalless at the break.
After a lacklustre first 45 minutes from the hosts, they came to life after the restart and started to create.
Aji Alese did brilliantly to bring a long pass under control but couldn’t apply the finish that he knocked over the top.
With 30 minutes left it was still all to play for without the sides locked at 0-0.
Needing everyone to help out defensively, Ince made a superb recovery tackle to put off Trai Hume before Lumley put it behind for a corner.
Lumley was required to be at full focus in the thick of the action to keep out Sunderland with a tremendous double save
With 15 minutes to go, Ince made a double switch to bring Yakou Meite and Scott Dann on for Long and Hoilett.
The deadlock was broken with seven minutes to go when Baba Rahman was caught dawdling on the ball and was punished by Roberts who put his side in the lead.
Reading’s determined work was undone when Rahman took far too long on the ball in his own box, was pickpocketed by Robert who stole possession before firing past Lumley.
It proved to be costly as the Royals couldn’t recover to find an equaliser and lost out away from home.
Reading are back in action on Tuesday night when they host Rotherham United at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, Batth, Alese, Michut, Neil, Roberts, Diallo, Clarke, Gelhardt
Subs: Bass, O’Nien, Ba, Bennett, Pritchard, Lihadji, Ekwah
Reading: Lumley, Yiadom (c), Sarr, Mbengue, Hoilett, Rahman, McIntyre, Hendrick, Ince, Long, Carroll
Subs: Dann, Meite, Azeez, Guinness-Walker, Fornah, Casadei, Bouzanis
Goals: Roberts 84’
