Dion Dublin's 47th-minute strike had given the visitors a deserved lead at the Stadium of Light when Mr
     Elleray ruled that defender Mark Delaney had handled inside the box and pointed to the spot. 

     Television replays showed that the decision was a little harsh, but England striker Kevin Phillips rubbed salt
     into the wound by converting the penalty and then adding an 82nd-minute winner to take his Premiership
     tally to 12. 

     Sunderland boss Peter Reid later admitted that his side had enjoyed a lucky break to assist their rise to third
     in the league table, but a furious Gregory added his voice to the chorus of top flight bosses to criticise
     referees in recent weeks. 

     ``It was an outrageous decision and it ends up in the back of our net, but we've got to swallow it and get on
     with it,'' he said. 

     ``I wouldn't say that that's the one thing that cost us the match, but it certainly enabled Sunderland to get back
     into the game. 

     ``I find it very difficult to fault the team tonight. Everything was going according to plan and we managed to
     sneak ahead and then the referee takes over. 

     ``There obviously wasn't any doubt in his mind, but in a situation like that, you normally give the defence the
     benefit of the doubt. 

     ``I thought Niall Quinn brought it down first with his arm and then it just hit Mark Delaney across the back and
     went on to the back of his elbow. There was absolutely no intent whatsoever.'' 

     Gregory revealed that he had not spoken to Mr Elleray about the incident, but added: ``I'd like to have done,
     but no doubt Mr Elleray will get in his car later on and drive off home and he doesn't have to answer to
     anybody, and that's the disappointing thing from my point of view.'' 

     The Villa boss's comments, which seem certain to land him in hot water, came just a day after West Ham
     manager Harry Redknapp criticised Uriah Rennie for booking Paolo Di Canio for diving rather than awarding
     a penalty in the 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough. 

     Redknapp suggested that Arsene Wenger's suggestion that Di Canio had been acting in the incident which
     cost Patrick Vieira a red card a fortnight earlier had influenced the official. 

     Dublin's goal - only the second Sunderland have conceded at home in the league since their return to the
     Premiership - looked to have put Villa in the driving seat, but the home side's comeback was determined. 

     The penalty gave them fresh impetus, and it was only a matter of time before Phillips won it, unusually for
     him, with a towering header. 

     It was not a commanding performance by the Wearsiders, and Reid did not spare his players after the final
     whistle. 

     ``I told them they were poor, but I said to them I can't fault you for anything else,'' he admitted. ``I know we've
     got character and I know we've got strength. 

     ``I was looking for a reaction and I got the right reaction.'' 

     Phillips' double took him clear at the top of the Premiership goalscoring table, two ahead of England skipper
     Alan Shearer, the only other man in double figures, and four more than Manchester United duo Andy Cole
     and Dwight Yorke
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