Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet believes that the number of penalties that were missed during the club's penalty shootout win over Manchester United proves the "difficulty" that players face during a "unique situation".

Seven spot kicks were missed during a dramatic shootout at Old Trafford as Sunderland made it through to the Capital One Cup final, and Poyet has revealed that he simply encouraged his players "to do their bit" at the end of 120 minutes.

The 46-year-old told Sky Sports News: "The most important message that I gave them was to make sure that they do their bit. Make sure that they score their penalty, and I believe that Vito Mannone would make at least one save during the shootout.

"He ended up saving two and there were a couple of misses, but that showed you how difficult it is to take a penalty in those situations. It doesn't matter who you are or who you play. It's a unique situation."

Sunderland will play Manchester City at Wembley on March 2.