PETER Reid picked up the tab on Saturday night when he took his old mate Sam Allardyce out for a post-match meal.

The deal was "winner pays" and after banking three precious away points, the Sunderland boss was more than happy, relieved in fact, to have to put his hand in his pocket.

"By far the better team lost!" Reid said as he reflected on his Denmark international keeper Thomas Sorensen making a handful of key saves - including Per Frandsen's 65th minute penalty - and two late goals that sent Wanderers' crashing to their second successive home Premiership defeat.

"There was one department we were good at and that was work rate because we gave the ball away that often.

"Bolton can consider themselves hard done by ... we've nicked it."

Two set pieces taken by Argentine midfielder Julio Arca - a 77th minute corner and an 83rd minute free-kick - proved Wanderers' undoing with Kevin Phillips poaching his 100th League goal to give Sunderland the lead and Jody Craddock's glancing header putting the result beyond doubt.

Reid moaned: "I'm not a happy chap because we've got Manchester United, Leeds and Arsenal in our next three games and, if we play like that, we'll get absolutely hammered.

"The two goals came from top drawer deliveries and, knowing Sam as I do very well, it sticks in your throat when you concede off dead balls. But besides that we were poor.

"Our passing was absolutely dreadful. There were top drawer players out there who couldn't pass from here to that wall. You can't play if that's the case. I think I'm just going to boot the ball in the air and give it away in training all week and then we'll play well!

"It was a bad performance but we've got the points. I've said that to the players and they assured me they just had a day off so I'll take their word for it."

While Frandsen sank to his knees beating the ground in despair after his penalty miss, Reid celebrated Sorensen's return after a four-match absence with a broken nose.

"You always have a chance with the keeper," he said. "He's in the world class bracket without a doubt ... in my opinion.

"He's got stature about him, the way he commands his box. You know when you see him coming for crosses that, invariably, he's going to get the ball."

Reid, who thought Niall Quinn was on the wrong end of some harsh decisions by referee David Elleray, voiced no complaints about the penalty awarded when his skipper Michael Gray pulled Ricardo Gardner's shirt.

"The ref's there to give the decisions and you can't argue," he acknowledged. "But I just thought we didn't get a lot of decisions from him all day.

"I'm just thankful we got the three points we didn't deserve."