Sam Allardyce has conceded that the situation looks bleak for his Sunderland side following their 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester City this evening.
The Black Cats were unable to convert any of the numerous chances that they created against the title challengers, who claimed the victory thanks to Sergio Aguero's 16th-minute strike.
The loss has left Allardyce's men 19th in the Premier League table, four points adrift of safety.
"We missed too many chances today and when you play a Manchester City side and have better chances than them, it shows the level of our performance," he told BBC Sport.
"While this performance was the best since I've been here, we're in big trouble now when you look at the other results tonight."
Sunderland are next in action on Saturday when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool.
