Former Sunderland boss Gus Poyet says their trip to New York influenced defeat to Southampton.

David Moyes told his players before the Crystal Palace game that they would jetting off to the States, the Black Cats landing a stunning 4-0 win at Selhurst Park.

Poyet, however, has suggested that the pending trip will have been a distraction in the build-up to the crucial Southampton game.

He told the Sunderland Echo: “I think you need to wait and see [whether it will be a good decision]. If they come back and win three in a row, it's the best decision he ever made.

"What I didn't like when I was playing, is that in the week before the game, there is too much talk about the trip. You lose the focus on the last game. Is it a coincidence that they lost at home heavily, or is it about the trip?"