Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou lamented his side’s finishing as he remains without a win since his appointment following their 1-0 home defeat to Sunderland.

Omar Alderete’s first half goal was enough to give the Black Cats three points, as they continued their excellent return to the top flight.

Forest had chances to draw level, with Chris Wood going close while Sunderland keeper Robin Roefs made a number of fine saves to deny Omari Hutchinson, Elliot Anderson and the New Zealand centre forward.

Postecoglou believed his side’s performance merited more from the game, considering the amount of opportunities they created, as his winless start stretched to five matches.

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, he said: "It was one of those evenings where we should have got the outcome we wanted.

“We have enough chances to certainly win the game.

“We are in a cycle at the moment where we are getting every outcome out of the game except the win and that is the most important thing."

Forest are now sitting in 14th position and are without a victory since the opening day of the season, with boos greeting the full-time whistle, the Australian admits he understands the frustrations of the supporters.

“The fans have got every right to be disappointed, they want to see their team win,” said Postecoglou.

“I understand their disappointment, it's certainly shared by us in the dressing room and by me and my job is to rectify that."

Sunderland are now unbeaten in four Premier League games and end the day in the top four of the top-flight after having played five or more games for the first time since 30th March 2001, with manager Regis Le Bris hailing his side’s fighting spirit.

Le Bris said to BBC Sport: "I think it [digging in] is part of our identity. We know to be competitive in this league we have to work together, to suffer together. I am really proud for that because we defended really well and our five subs helped a lot."

The Frenchman also pointed out areas where his side can do better, primarily in possession and being able to ensure they are on the front foot on more occasions.

“With the ball I think there is still room for improvement,” he said.

“We had the opportunities to build up the play more comfortably and progress through the pitch a bit better but we still have many things to learn."

Granit Xhaka has now registered three assists for the Black Cats, with only Jack Grealish managing more during the beginning of the campaign and Le Bris praised his summer signing as a role model for other members of the squad.

He said: "He is really smart, he knows how to manage a situation in real time.

“He is a future coach I think so we need to use him with this power, this strength because it is so important to a young squad like ours.

"I hope he will play for Sunderland for a long time because we need him on the pitch. On the bench you can't have the same influence and I hope he can keep this consistency for the full season."