Juande Ramos was left to rue what might have been after watching his side squander several good chances against Blackburn Rovers yesterday.
Ramos' side dominated the opening exchanges of the match and took the lead with a well crafted goal after eight minutes.
Goalscorer Dimitar Berbatov then wasted several opportunities to extend his side's advantage before Blackburn struck the equaliser through Morten Gamst Pedersen.
"In the first half we had some excellent chances," reflected Juande at Ewood Park. "We had good possession of the ball and with the chances we created, we maybe should have decided the game in that first half."
It's not the first time that we have failed to push on after grabbing an early goal, with complacency costing us dearly against Newcastle last week. With Darren Bent struggling to convince, Ramos may well look at strengthening his attacking options come pre-season.
"It was a case of not being more assertive in the final shot. Football is all about converting chances and we were in front of goal on a number of occasions with some real opportunities and it was just about not being decisive enough in that final finish," commented the Spaniard.
He will, however, have been encouraged by the performances of Didier Zokora and Alan Hutton, both of whom looked full of energy and running.
Aaron Lennon, who has struggled to make an impact in recent weeks, gave the Blackburn defence a torrid time and will look to build on his performance during next week's visit of Middlesbrough.