Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has admitted that he is at a loss to explain why his side perform differently in cup competitions.

Despite sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table, the Black Cats put one foot into the League Cup final by beating Manchester United 2-1 on Tuesday evening.

Poyet's side beat Chelsea in the quarter-final, and the Uruguayan has said that he cannot put his finger on why his side fare better in knockout competitions.

He told Sky Sports News: "I'm thinking that it is something strange. We cannot beat the bottom teams around us, but we can beat the top teams [in the League Cup]. We change when we play smaller teams.

"No doubt [we have to bring the cup form into the league], otherwise it is not worth it. We want to enjoy this competition, but the Premier League is massive."

Sunderland travel to fellow strugglers Fulham on Saturday.