Sunderland fell to a disappointing defeat against Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

Tony Mowbray's side are clinging on to a playoff spot in the Championship after successive defeats, with both coming against struggling sides in the bottom half. 

Jack Clarke's eighth goal of the season wasn't enough for the Black Cats as Alex Neil's side secured a vital three points to put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone. 

It was a nightmare start for the Black Cats against the Potters as the home side took the lead on seven minutes in controversial circumstances. 

Mehdi Leris flicked Wouter Burger's pass into the path of Ryan Mmaee, with the striker appearing to control the ball with his hand before slotting past Anthony Patterson for 1-0.

However, it took just three minutes for Sunderland to level, with Clarke once again the hero for a Sunderland side that are perhaps still lacking a clinical striker, following the summer sale of Ross Stewart to Southampton. 

Jobe Bellingham was instrumental in the build-up, twisting and turning in the penalty area before firing in a low shot, which was parried into the path of Clarke, leaving him with a simple finish that saw him go top of the scoring charts.

Stoke had plenty of chances to go back ahead as Patterson turned over Burger's shot and Mmaee had an effort cleared off the line, before Abdoullah Ba missed a golden opportunity to edge the visitors ahead, hitting the side netting after Daniel Johnson's poor touch had let him in on goal.

But that was little consolation for the travelling Sunderland fans, as they went 2-1 down just two minutes into the second half, as Luke McNally headed in Johnson's corner.

Dan Ballard hit the post and Clarke volleyed another chance over the bar, but Sunderland simply couldn't find an equaliser, with the home side holding on for the win - a result which perhaps sees Neil keep his job, having swapped Sunderland for Stoke in 2022.

Sunderland will be looking to bounce back when they face Leicester City on Tuesday night.