Sunderland defender Anthony Reveillere has admitted that his side's chances of taking a positive result against Manchester United all but ended when the Red Devils were awarded a penalty.

Louis van Gaal's men were awarded a spot kick when John O'Shea brought down Radamel Falcao in the area, although referee Roger East sent off Wes Brown for the infringement, much to the bemusement of Black Cats' players.

Wayne Rooney fired United into the lead with his 10th Premier League goal of the season, and his 11th soon followed as the home side secured the three points with relative ease.

Reveillere told the club's official website: "The penalty decision and the red card made it very difficult to get something from the game.

"It all hinged on the first goal and the red card was unfortunate because our defender was just trying to get in there and nick the ball, but Falcao managed to get himself in a good position to protect the ball and yes there was a bit of contact.

"In the first half were created chances so perhaps we could have taken something from the game, but we suffered a little in the second period and we struggled to get the ball out of our area."

Sunderland remain in 16th place in the Premier League table, three points clear of the relegation zone.