Sunderland returned to winning ways against an Ipswich Town side who have been gradually improving under Paul Cook's stewardship. 

The Black Cats ran out as 2-0 winners against The Tractor Boys yesterday afternoon, in what was a tightly-contested affair at The Stadium of Light. 

Ipswich failed to score for the second game in a row, after scoring in every single game up until last week. 

Sunderland's win bridges Ipswich's gap from the play-off to seven points, with The Black Cats putting an end to three successive defeats in the process. 

Not proving to be as deadly at the moment 

Even when Ipswich were struggling at the start of the campaign, they were still scoring lots of goals.

However, they have now gone two games without finding the back of the net, which could be a cause of concern.

But, ultimately, they have come up against two excellent sides in the last two weeks, who have restricted their usual free-flowing attacking football. 

Ipswich have excellent options in attacking positions, and it could now be time for the likes of Joe Pigott and Scott Fraser to get more of a chance. 

George Edmundson is a warrior

It is always unfortunate when the best player on the pitch ends up on the losing side, but this is exactly what happened yesterday. 

George Edmundson was a rock for Ipswich yesterday, winning every battle that he had with members of Sunderland's frontline.

He also helped progress possession when on the ball and ensured that his side remained in the game up until the late stages. 

Edmundson is likely to be a key figure in what remains of this season. 

Ipswich are a good team who just got edged out

The Stadium of Light has been a fortress this year, meaning that they will not be too disheartened by the performance and subsequent result. 

Sunderland have blown good teams away this season on home soil, and Ipswich matched them for the vast majority of yesterday's clash. 

Ipswich are seven points from the play-off positions and they know they have the quality to make the top six this season, and should they embark on a run of form, then the top two positions are also attainable.