Sam Allardyce has stated that his top priority at Sunderland is to shore up the leaky defensive unit.

The Black Cats have conceded 26 times in their opening 12 games of the Premier League season, leaving them above only Bournemouth in terms of the amount of goals shipped.

Allardyce was brought to the club in October with the sole aim of keeping Sunderland in the top flight, and the experienced boss believes that tightening up at the back holds the key to his side's survival hopes.

"My philosophy has always been you start from the back, and it goes without saying every team which wins the league has the best defensive record," he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News. "When we are a conceding on average over two goals a game, that is the first thing which we have to stop and the players have to understand that.

"If they think it is a negative, it is not, it is a massive positive because as soon as you don't concede a goal you don't lose the game, then you have got a point and of course afterwards you only need one goal to win it.

"So it should be the most positive thing in their mind, because if they achieve a clean sheet as often as they possibly can it will give them a very, very good chance of winning more and more football matches and getting safer up the league as quickly as possible."

Sunderland, who take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday night, are currently four points from safety in 19th place.