The Black Cats enjoyed much the better of Saturday's first half as Newcastle found themselves pinned deep inside their own territory for long periods. However, Magpies keeper Tim Krul was called upon to make only two saves of note, both from Stephane Sessegnon, and Asamoah Gyan curled a shot on to the top of the crossbar as the visitors survived an early onslaught and then turned the tide to win the game. Bruce said: "That is the hardest part in the Premier League. You don't get four and five every half. "You get three or four opportunities a game - can we take them? On Saturday, we missed too many." Remarkably, the defeat was Sunderland's seventh in eight home games dating back to January 16 when Gyan's injury-time equaliser denied Newcastle victory on Wearside, and meant they have taken just that single point from Bruce's three derby games to date. To make matters worse, it was as unexpected as last season's 5-1 drubbing at St James' Park with the home side having invested heavily once again this summer and their neighbours embroiled in the kind of off-field turmoil which has become something of a trademark in recent years. The immediate response from Bruce's critics, and in particular those who see a conspiracy theory in his Tyneside roots, was vociferous, although he was at least able to comfort himself with the memories of the response he got from his players last season when, two weeks after their humiliation by the Magpies, they won 3-0 at Chelsea. He said: "That's what football is. Like the last time, we have got some making-up to do with the public, but I couldn't be more pleased with the way we played in the first half. "We have got to take it on the chin, the abuse that comes our way. It's part and parcel of it and if it creates a pressure, then we have got to be big enough to handle it." It might have been so different for Sunderland had they been able to take any of the first half opportunities they created, although they enjoyed a major slice of good fortune when referee Howard Webb and his assistant missed a blatant handball by Sebastian Larsson which should have resulted in a 14th-minute penalty for the visitors and a red card for the Swede. Indeed, on another day, full-back Phil Bardsley, who was sent off at the death for a second bookable offence, could have been joining Larsson and Lee Cattermole back in the dressing room with Newcastle's Yohan Cabaye also receiving the benefit of the doubt for an agricultural challenge on Bardsley. Having safely negotiated their way to the break unscathed, the visitors adopted a slightly more expansive approach after the restart - lone striker Shola Ameobi had previously enjoyed negligible service - and went close when Jonas Gutierrez forced Simon Mignolet into an uncomfortable 61st-minute save. But the Belgium international was embarrassed further within 60 seconds when, after Gutierrez had been felled by Cattermole, emergency left-back Ryan Taylor stepped up to curl a free-kick over him and into the top corner. Bruce said: "We are disappointed with the goal. You look at that and I would expect my goalkeeper to save that. I think he was in the wrong position." Sunderland will attempt to start the rebuilding process on Tuesday evening when they travel to Brighton for a Carling Cup second round tie. They will do so with the sting of yet more derby disappointment - they have beaten Newcastle in the league on home turf only once since 1980 - still fresh in their minds. Defender Wes Brown said: "We came out in the second half thinking we could keep going from what we did in the first half, but we just seemed to quieten off, if anything. "They seemed to get themselves back into it and it was only in the last 10 minutes that we pushed on again. "It was a disappointing day and we have just got to keep our heads up now for the game on Tuesday."
