IT needed a Patrick van Aanholt equaliser to earn a point for Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on an afternoon when the points could easily have left with West Brom. Here are four of the main talking points from the game.

LACK OF BALANCE

The players might get along, they might have blossoming relationships behind-the-scenes, but the reality is that this is a Sunderland team still to gel on the pitch.

There were positive signs moving forward, particularly early on, but the hefty number of changes that have taken place since the end of last season is proving costly again.

Looking at it Sunderland have some good players, on paper. Together, though, David Moyes is still searching for a system that works and that continues to pose problems in itself.

It said it all that the equaliser actually arrived after an enforced change of system. Van Aanholt’s introduction meant going to wing-backs and he earned the break to get a point.

The Northern Echo:

CHANGE TO BACKLINE

This was the day when the £8m summer signing Papy Djilobodji was dropped for the first time in the Premier League and his replacement was steady.

John O’Shea looked effective, using his experience to do what he does best and lead by example at the heart of the defence. Djilobodji deserved the axe, but Lamine Kone needs to find his best too after signing his new, more lucrative, deal in the summer.

Djilibodji was not the only man to make way, with van Aanholt initially left out. Jason Denayer and Javier Manquillo had their moments, and this result could not be pinned on either of those.

TOP TUNISIAN?

Wonderful or woeful Wahbi? On this occasion it was nearer to the latter than the former until he stepped up a gear.

Wahbi Khazri was important in keeping Sunderland up last season under Sam Allardyce but he has frustrated Moyes so far and has had to wait for his chance to shine.

This was the day Khazri was asked to play wide, following the injury to Adnan Januzaj, but he was unable to deliver for the most part. His passing was wayward and his deliveries hardly ideal.

Sunderland need more of what he showed in the minutes building up to the £9m man’s late withdrawal and they need it quickly; otherwise he will find himself out in the cold again and Sunderland could be adrift by Christmas.

FIGHTING SPIRIT 

A lot has been made of Moyes’ brutally honest assessments since taking over and some fans have already laid some blame partially on him.

The question he faces is can he get Sunderland up and running? He will believe so.

But after collecting just two points from seven games the confidence would ordinarily have taken another huge knock, but the fighting spirit show to earn a point bodes well.

Sunderland – who lost Kirchhoff through injury too - rallied and pressed but Ben Foster was not tested anywhere near as much as he should have been except for when Jermain Defoe shot wide in the third minute from a glorious position.

DAVID MOYES SAID

“The players kept going. I have to praise them for that. I did not think we deserved to be a goal down. It was uphill task after that. West Brom are masters of not conceding and being hard to beat.

“We needed to find a goal from somewhere but we didn’t have any attacking players to make changes. The only thing was to change the system. We’d been training with Patrick further forward this week.

“He gets goals for a left-back. But what we need is everyone else to get the goals. It was good play by Duncan Watmore to set him up. For me there is still disappointment because we didn’t take three points and I thought we might have got a second after the equaliser.”

TONY PULIS SAID

“We’re disappointed. We had 21 crosses, 18 shots, but we needed a second goal. The supporters stuck with them. 

“The goal is disappointing, he hit it into the ground and it goes in the top corner. I'm very pleased with the players.

"The running stats are very good. We need a bit of quality in the final third. Chadli has that bit of quality you need. His goal was real quality. When you dominate a game that much you expect to win.