Advocaat slams Johnson and Sunderland after United defeat

Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat slammed the performance of Adam Johnson and criticised his team for making it too easy for Manchester United in their 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

Advocaat’s men are still waiting for their first Premier League win of the season following another disappointing display, which leaves the Wearsiders with just two points after seven games.

Memphis Depay opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time with his maiden league goal for United, before Wayne Rooney’s first league strike for 1,000 minutes and Juan Mata capped off a comfortable win for the hosts late on.

While United and Advocaat’s fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal are now top of the table, the Sunderland boss was left to ponder what went wrong again, and he was quick to point the finger at winger Johnson, who was withdrawn at half-time.

Advocaat said: “Johnson, why I took him out? Because I think every ball he touched was wrong.”

Asked for his overall assessment of Sunderland’s display, he added: “We cannot keep saying every game take the good things out of the game.

“We were well organised against a good a side as United but we gave the game away in two minutes. Normally we give goals away in the beginning, now at the end and at the beginning of the second half.

“Against a team like United, 2-0 down, it is quite difficult to come back.

“The first half the way the team was organised was okay. We tried to hurt them a little bit on the break sometimes, but by the first goal, if you see what kind of mistake we make again, then you ask for problems.

“Before that United did not have a lot of chances in my opinion.

“The first goal that was not a chance, it was a long ball, Patrick van Aanholt is watching his own man instead of closing down.

“The second goal was the same, too easy, the third goal the same. I can accept sometimes to lose but we made it very easy for them second half.”