Liam Manning's proud assessment of Bristol City's 'spirited' win against Sunderland

Liam Manning hailed Bristol City's 'spirit and desire' in their hard-fought 1-0 win over Sunderland at Ashton Gate.

Tommy Conway's first-half penalty proved the all-important goal after some slack play from the Black Cats' goalkeeper, as Anis Mehmeti struck the post later in the half.

Sunderland struck the bar twice through Alex Pritchard and were denied by a string of Max O'Leary saves, but couldn't force an equaliser.

The result ended a four-match winless run for the Robins, and Manning was delighted with the performance of his side

“It shows off the back of a couple of frustrating results that staying calm and not getting too high or low after results is important," he said.

"I think you could see that today, the togetherness, the spirit, the desire to defend and put your body on the line and to run - that has to underpin everything. I’m delighted for the staff and the lads, we’ve probably played better but the three points are massive."

The visitors recorded 67% possession on the afternoon and had several big opportunities to draw level - most notably through Luke O'Nien and Jobe Bellingham.

In stoppage time at the end of the match, Daniel Ballard went down in the area under Cam Pring's challenge, and there was a moment of silence around Ashton Gate as the home support feared the worst.

But, referee Stephen Martin waved away the Sunderland shouts for a spot kick.

“It was a bit stressful, I feel like I've aged 10 years," Manning joked. "I'm not going to lie, I was delighted when three minutes went up at the end... It was a good solid performance with room for growth."