Huddersfield Town boss reveals the key to Sunderland win - and how the winner almost never happened

Darren Moore praised his Huddersfield Town players for denying Sunderland the space they needed after overseeing a surprise 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light.

Moore's side created the better of the chances through the early stages of the game despite seeing very little possession, and took a deserved lead through Michal Helik. Luke O'Nien equalised not long before the break and though Sunderland improved in the second half, Denalo Burgzorg's strike proved the difference between the two teams.

The Huddersfield Town boss actually felt his players could have offered more in possession throughout the game, but said their work and application off the ball was the key to their win.

"It was good to get the three points and we don't underestimate them, they've got a fantastic record here," Moore said. "I've got a lot of respect for Tony and Mark and the work they are doing here. They're a good team, we had to be resolute in our work off the ball.

"The main thing that I liked about our performance is that we controlled important areas of the pitch off the ball, we did that as a unit. We did our work early to nullify those spaces so that it is difficult for them to get their patterns of play going. When they do that, and you saw it at times tonight, you see how dangerous they are.

"We had a great chance in the first five minutes, and credit to Patto because he makes a great save. I think it gave us that impetus that there were areas there to exploit and I thought when those chances came, to be honest we could have done better. Credit to the players, the work off the ball was very good, there were times when we could have stayed on the ball longer in certain areas and not be so anxious, but it's a learning process for us and the three points are the most important thing."

Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray described Burgzorg's winner as 'ridiculous' from his side's point of view, with the striker able to pounce on a loose ball he had no right to reach first following an excellent Jobe Bellingham tackle.

Moore admitted that Burgzorg was fortunate to be on the pitch, with only a long spell of Sunderland possession preventing him from making a pre-planned substitution.

"He timed it right because I'd already decided he was coming off," Moore said.

"The only reason he's still on the pitch to score that is because it was such a long spell where the ball didn't go out of play, we couldn't get the ball. It worked out well and we're delighted he got the winner.

"We have to manage his minutes as he comes back from injury, so he was always going to share the load with Danny Ward. He was a handful for us, and gave us an outlet. He can be pleased with his work."

Moore also praised goalkeeper Chris Maxwell for making a key save from Bellingham just minutes before the winning goal was scored.