YOU could sense the disappointment Lee Cattermole felt in the Sunderland penalty area deep in to stoppage-time at Old Trafford as he picked himself up off the floor.

His outstretched boot had marginally failed to stop Daley Blind’s searching diagonal pass from picking out Juan Mata. The Manchester United forward volleyed across goal for Memphis Depay to force over the line.

Sunderland, like so often this season, were behind again before the half-time teamtalk and it hurts Cattermole to be part of a team yet again propping up the Premier League as October approaches.

He has been here before. For the third year in a row Sunderland have not won a league game in August or September and the focus, yet again, is on how to turn things around and climb out of the relegation zone.

The Black Cats were successful in previous years, but it ultimately took a change of head coach to achieve it and there will be no desire to go down that road again.

Dick Advocaat, who only has a contract until the end of the season anyway, must somehow make the most of the tools he has at his disposal otherwise it could lead to another change at the top.

“What is different to the other years? A lot of personnel, there have been changes,” said Cattermole, as he reflected on a fourth straight defeat in the Old Trafford tunnel.

“I believe we have better quality than we had last season. We have better players. But the Premier League is a difficult animal.

“We have to stay patient and work thoroughly on trying to improve. Next week against West Ham is a massive game and our focus has to be on that before we go in to the international break.

“We have a strong bunch of lads with enough experience to come through this. We should not be panicking, especially after this. I think we need to get away to training and look towards Saturday.”

Advocaat, who has managed at the highest level for decades, appears relaxed in his mood as he weighs up how to lift Sunderland out of the doldrums. He clearly, though, has still to come up with the ideal system to suit the summer signings.

Cattermole’s return to the defensive midfield role did tighten things up against Manchester United, initially. His leadership qualities were crucial in a first half when he tried to organise things behind and in front of him.

It restricted Louis van Gaal’s side and Costel Pantilimon was not really tested until that opening goal; while Jeremain Lens could have put Sunderland ahead had it not been for David de Gea’s legs.

But then Depay found the net deep in to stoppage-time to get things moving and, after Adam Johnson was taken off after a poor first half, Wayne Rooney finally scored his first goal of the season 39 seconds after the restart. He bundled Anthony Martial’s cross over the line.

“The timing of the first was frustrating,” said Cattermole. “The first half they had two shots, I said to Ola Toivonen I think they have had two shots and both were free-kicks. We then lost a goal probably just after the added time.

“There are a lot of positives. We came here believing we could get something. We can be positive. We will address the goals and maybe we were not as good on the ball as we should have been in the first half. But we can take the positives form this and we have a cup final next week.”

By the time the unmarked Mata had turned Ashley Young’s deep cross high into Pantilimon’s net, Sunderland had already accepted their fate despite two further de Gea saves with his legs from Toivonen and Patrick van Aanholt.

The reality was that Sunderland never looked composed or solid enough to prevent Manchester United from scoring for 90 minutes.

"We can't keep saying we have a lot of games to go,” said Advocaat. “We cannot keep saying after each game to take the good things out of it.

"Normally we give the goals away at the beginning. Now it's at the end (of the first half) and the beginning of the second half.

“We tried to do something on the break sometimes, but if you see the kind of mistake we made for the first goal, then you ask for problems.”

They cannot suffer the same headaches when West Ham visit the Stadium of Light this weekend or Advocaat’s Sunderland, who are already four points adrift of safety, may have to plot another Great Escape before the Christmas shoppers have even started.