THE footballing neutral love to see a goalkeeper get on the scoresheet but it's a horrid feeling for the opposition when it happens.

Five points from their opening three games represents a strong start to Sunderland's Championship return as they maintained their unbeaten record at the weekend. But the late drama and the bizarre nature in which they were denied three points felt like a defeat as Alex Neil said his side swallowed an undeserved but bitter pill against Queens Park Rangers.

Fresh from their Ashton Gates antics, the double S combination of Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms were at it again at the Stadium of Light terrorising the Hoops defence while the whole Black Cats side were putting the sword to Michael Beale's side. They once again showed how crucial they can be this season.

However, the Championship bared it's teeth and showed just how unpredictable it can be with a crazy five minutes as goalkeeper Semy Dieng was the goalscoring hero in the dying embers.

A harsh lesson or a freak set of events? It seems like the latter in the eyes of the manager. “I don’t think it’s naivety" said Sunderland boss Neil.

“There is nothing tactically or structurally you can do about that. The kid puts it in the top corner and it’s a goal. When they get a corner later on, we had the ball, they lose at the edge of the box and then they turn the ball down the side, they have a chance and then it becomes a corner.

“Two phases come into the box and unfortunately when they bring the goalkeeper up, there’s not enough players to mark so somebody is free in the box and it lands at goalkeeper. The chances of that are highly unlikely and as far as I’m concerned, they got out of jail.

“You could see in the celebrations how delighted they were because I don’t think they deserved anything from the game.”

After a cagey and feisty opening to the game, Sunderland pinned Queens Park Rangers back on the half hour mark as Stewart started the move with a clever touch to Jack Clarke on the left. Alex Pritchard received the ball on the edge of the box and laid off Dan Neil whose first time strike was well saved by Dieng. But Stewart was on hand to gobble up the chance in the box like he does.

Buoyed by that goal, the direct Sunderland went long for Simms who touched down for Pritchard, Stefan Johansen's sliding challenge laid on Simms who did the rest by taking the ball in his stride and burying the chance.

With the game petering out, QPR were handed a lifeline with a free-kick on the edge of the back in the 87th minute which Ilias Chair dispatched.

Then in amongst the madness of a corner ball which Dieng trudged forward for, the ball was crossed back into the area from a clearance and the Swiss keeper rose highest and looped his header over Anthony Patterson in stoppage time.

Neil's side were then inches from regaining lead. Stewart's shot on the turn was saved by Dieng and Elliot Embleton crashed his rebound off the underside of the bar. Complete madness to end the game.

Sunderland, hit by that late blow, will also be counting the cost of an injury to Dan Ballard who was forced off within the first ten minutes of the game and head straight for the emergency room from the ground.

Neil continued: "Dan is a key player, we've spent money on him to improve the squad. We've lost him, and it just shows where we are. We're light.

"We've lost a signing we've brought in, if you look at the squad today we've only had two starters from who we signed in the summer, and now we've lost one of them.”

After being quizzed on the severity of the injury, Neil added: "It doesn't look good for Dan. He's gone away to hospital and we'll see how he is from there."

There is a lot to be said for the fact that Sunderland walked away from the Stadium of Light frustrated not to have seven points out of nine and perhaps it is a measure of how far they've come as a club. But the late drama shows there is no let up in the Championship. Two extra points would have been nice heading to Sheffield United on Wednesday.