Sunderland winger Jeremain Lens has refused to blame officiating for his side's 2-0 defeat by Bournemouth on Saturday.

The 27-year-old - who moved to Wearside from Dynamo Kiev in July - saw a headed goal ruled out for offside early in the second half, but Lens believes that his side should have started better against the Cherries.

"If you concede two early goals, you know it's going to be a difficult game," Lens told the Sunderland Echo.

"In the second half, we tried to start better. Unfortunately I scored, but with the mistake from the referee, it didn't count. That can happen. I don't blame the referee. Everyone can make mistakes. If that moment had been a goal, then maybe it would have been a different game.

"But I don't know why we started like that. If you saw the Tottenham game, we played very well, even though we didn't win that match. It was a totally different game at Bournemouth. We need to find a solution for that."

Sunderland will take on Manchester City in the League Cup tomorrow evening.