Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki says he has "mixed feelings" after the defeat by Aston Villa because they were so close to getting something out of the game after working their way back into it.
The Black Cats scored in the 86th and 87th minutes to level the game at 3-3 from 3-1 down, but were undone a few minutes later by a deflected shot off Villa substitute Tammy Abraham.
They even had the chance to win it just seconds before Abraham's goal when Habib Diarra had a one-on-one chance saved by Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez, while team-mate Chemsdine Talbi would have had an open goal if Diarra had passed.
Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle, Sadiki said: "It was fun to watch and play against a good opponent with great players on the pitch.
"I think we can start better than we have in the last few games and we need to improve on it. They [Villa] exposed it because they are a good team, but we can't afford to do it again.
"We scored once and then all of a sudden we were level with them which is a great feeling. We had another chance which we didn't take and then they punished us again.
"It's mixed feelings. I think we showed mentality and that we can do it but it's all small margins."
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