Here we go again, Blackburn Rovers. 

It was another night of frustration for Jon Dahl Tomasson's side as they were beaten 3-1 at Ewood Park. If you'd told supporters inside the ground that would be the full-time score after 25 minutes, you'd have been met with a confused look.

It's quite easy to overexaggerate as a head coach, a player or as the media when watching a game. But make no bones about it, Rovers should've been out of sight by 25 minutes.

These are not half chances that went begging. It was a combination of wasteful finishing but also heroic defending. Dan Ballard must have a personal vendetta against Rovers as he produced mind-boggling block after block to keep them at bay.

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He celebrated his clearance like a goal when he somehow deflected Andrew Moran's effort over his own crossbar from eight yards. It was a truly astonishing moment.

He was at it again a few minutes later, denying Harry Leonard, who looked destined to score. The rebound from Sam Szmodics was deflected over and somehow, the Sunderland goal remained intact.

Sunderland's spine won them the game in the big moments at Ewood Park. Ballard was a man mountain at the back and in Jack Clarke, they had the premium attacker from both sides. 

He was too quick for Ryan Hedges as he nipped in to win a penalty, though it was very unlucky from the Rovers winger as he tried to clear. He then punished Hayden Carter's wayward pass by sealing the game with a level of composure in the final third that Rovers simply do not possess.

That is what separated the two teams, finishing. Let's not overcomplicate matters. Tony Mowbray's glowing post-match review of Rovers' attacking patterns and wide overloads speak volumes but it will come as no consolation to Tomasson.

The positive for Rovers is that they weren't blown out of the water by parachute money. Acquiring a mercurial talent like Clarke is well within their reach, moving forward.

If you rewind 18 months, Clarke was a Tottenham Hotspur misfit. Loans at Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City did not go to plan and Spurs were suddenly left wondering whether they'd bought a dud when they invested so heavily to take the teenager from Leeds United.

It was Sunderland who took a chance to pick him up permanently after a decent but not spectacular loan. They didn't pay an eye-watering fee either.

That has to be the aim for Blackburn Rovers, who probably need a big sale to unlock their true talent ID potential. Whether that's important sell-on clauses through David Raya and Ash Phillips or the sale of an academy graduate, it is about replenishing and rebuilding, which Sunderland have been able to do.

With Tomasson at the helm, it's easy to envisage Rovers picking up discarded Premier League talent and turning them into match-winners, just as Sunderland have with Clarke. That will, of course, take time.

Back to the here and now, Rovers need to ensure their confidence doesn't drop. They are playing some wonderful football and need to continue doing the right things. It's the job of Tomasson to pick the players up in the next 48 hours ahead of another tough test at Ipswich Town.

The first-half performance was excellent. The second was still impressive, though Sunderland did a better job at stifling their chance creation and enjoyed hitting them on the break. That's the nature of football when you're chasing a lead.

There isn't a lot wrong. Whilst they have only kept one clean sheet this season, they are not being cut open defensively. The goals came from a penalty, a second-phase set-piece and an individual error. It was one of those nights. Had it been a Playstation game, the controller would have been smashed up by full-time.

Looking at the positives, I thought Lewis Travis and Andrew Moran were excellent in midfield. The former only lasted an hour, on a booking and having limped off at the weekend.

Moran played a narrow role off the left, dropping central to create a box midfield and overload that area of the pitch. He looks more at home in central areas but the fluency of Rovers' attacking system meant he had license to rotate.

Sunderland were a step up in class on Middlesbrough but the performance level was good enough for three points. What's clear is they won't have the same volume of chances away from home, especially at Portman Road.

Ipswich have won 18 of their last 21 matches in all competitions, dating back to their promotion push out of League One. They're full of confidence having won six games out of seven this term too at Championship level.

It will be another tough test for this young group, who might feel like the stuffing has been knocked out of them on Thursday morning. But if they continue doing the right things, the goals will eventually come. The hardest part is believing.