Sunderland Striker Admits Players 'Have Not Been as United' This Season

?Sunderland striker Fabio Borini has admitted the club’s players “have not been as united” having struggled to get results this season.

The Italian forward scored a last minute equaliser to rescue a 2-2 draw against West Ham on Saturday, but the Black Cats remain nine points from safety.

Borini has insisted that the he and his teammates still have belief that they can pull off a great escape, but admitted this season has been a struggle.

“It’s harder than the previous time, I think,” he told ?the BBC. “We have not been at our level, we have probably not been as united a group as in previous seasons. That’s what probably has been the problem.

“But positive results and performances like this can bring that strength to the group and get everyone together because in our situation, we can only get out together, not individually.

“There has been a little bit of problems within the dressing room, but that’s for us to deal with it. The results, the injuries, that’s all part of being united and keep believing.”

Borini scored just his second goal of the season, coming on as a substitute for the second game in a row.

He added: “When you come off the bench so late in the game, and you obviously want to play in every game, then it is more of a boost to score the late equaliser, even if it is only worth a point. We take that, and we need to be more united than ever to keep going.”