Tony Mowbray believes the 3-0 scoreline was 'harsh' on QPR as Sunderland won at Loftus Road to climb into the play-off spots and up to fifth place. The Black Cats boss pointed to Anthony Patterson's penalty save from Ilias Chair in the second period, when Sunderland held just a single-goal lead thanks to Luke O'Nien's first-half strike, as a potential turning point in the match, saying it could have been very different if the Londoners had drawn level.
Instead, Jack Clarke went on to add two goals in the final ten minutes of the match to ensure there was no way back for out-of-form QPR, who are on a ten-game winless streak in all competitions. "I wouldn't say it was comfortable," said Mowbray of the win.
"I like the way QPR play, they like to build up, they gave us plenty of problems in the first 20 minutes of both halves. They have a way of playing, we have obviously studied them, and we changed our system a bit because we felt we could hurt them on the transition because they play really expansive football.
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"It's good when they get it right, but probably dangerous when they get it wrong. I said to Neil [Critchley, the QPR boss] after the game that I thought it was a bit harsh on them, 3-0, and yet we could have scored some more - Amad ran through one-on-one with the goalie, we hit the crossbar.
"Maybe if they hadn't missed the penalty it would have been a different evening, you never know. I'm happy with the three points, it's always nice for the supporters who make the trip to see the team win.
"There were times in the game where we weren't as fluent as we needed to be and yet we got the job done and that's what you have to do in football."
The penalty came on 65 minutes when Aji Alese handled inside the box, but Patterson saved Chair's spot-kick with his feet. Mowbray said: "Patterson has been amazing all season - it [the penalty save] shouldn't surprise you.
"I genuinely think now that when people take penalties against us, I think he is going to save it. That was an amazing save. He chose his way but he filled the goal with his body and kicked it away.
"Look at how he deals with any long, high balls in the box, he is doing fantastically well. He deserves huge credit in helping the team get the right result tonight."
Mowbray made three changes against QPR, with O'Nien, Abdoullah Ba, and Alex Pritchard coming into the side in place of Amad, Edouard Michut, and Dan Neil. Mowbray explained: "For us, we had to make a few changes tonight and left a few of the more important players on the bench - not out of any disrespect, but due to fatigue because we had a cup replay [last week] against Fulham which was very draining for the team.
"We've got probably three midweeks and three weekends on the bounce. You can see how low we are on numbers, we've lost some pretty key players through injury - Ross Stewart is finished for the season, Corry Evans is finished for the season, Elliot Embleton is probably finished for the season.
"These are big players for this football team and yet they are missing. We've signed some young French lads and a young Costa Rican, they have to step forward and they did tonight.
"Yet I do believe that when Amad came on the pitch you could feel the quality and feel the extra threat. Dan Neil, Dennis Cirkin, they could come on the pitch and make a difference."
Michut was left back on Wearside, but Mowbray said he had merely been rested. He said: "I just rested him, left him at home.
"The kid has never seen English Championship football before, he's never played three games in a week, and now he's played four in ten days. So rather than him travel all the way here and all the way back, we left him at home to relax and get ready for Saturday."
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