But that fact – confirmed by yesterday's final-day 1-0 loss at home to Arsenal – wasn't fazing Black Cats manager Roy Keane who knew that – disappointing though that fact might have been – things could have been a whole lot worse.

"We know it's an area we have to improve on and we have been close on a couple of occasions to getting something," he said.

"But Birmingham took a point off Liverpool and Fulham took a point off Chelsea and those two sides have gone down this season, so it doesn't count for everything.

"The fact is, our results against the top teams were never going to be decisive. What has kept us in the Premiership this season is our results against the teams around us.

"We took four points off Derby County, four off Fulham, four off Birmingham City and so on and that was what counted in the long run."

Though he knows Sunderland has a long way to go before it can begin challenging the upper reaches of the table, he was reasonably pleased with the way his revamped side tested Arsenal in yesterday's 1-0 Stadium of Light defeat.

The Irishman added: "I thought we played some good stuff.

"I generally quite enjoyed the game and we carved out some good chances.

"Players coming back into the team played well – Carlos Edwards, Dwight Yorke, Ross Wallace – but, at the end of the day, we lost the game, so we can't be too happy.

"We had chances, but you have to take your chances when they come along, especially against the top teams.

"I rested Craig Gordon, because I just fancied giving Marton Fulop a game.

"It has been a frustrating time for him because I know how much he wants to play first-team games.

"Having said that, I didn't put him in just for sympathy – he's a top-class goalkeeper.

"I knew he wouldn't let us down and he didn't."