Tim Walter says referee Robert Madley apologised to him following Hull City's defeat by Sunderland. (More Football News)
The Black Cats returned to the Championship summit, with Wilson Isidor's third goal in four games enough to seal all three points at the MKM Stadium.
The winning goal came in the 63rd minute, though Hull felt it should not have stood.
From a Tigers corner, referee Madley appeared to obstruct the view of Marvin Mehlem, who was subsequently dispossessed before Dan Neil sent Isidor clear, with the Zenit loanee outmuscling Cody Drameh before lifting over Hull goalkeeper Ivor Pandur.
Walter later confirmed he had received an apology from the official for the incident, but acknowledged his side were ultimately made to pay for not taking their chances.
"The referee invited me in [to the official's room] to apologise, but it doesn't help me," he told BBC Radio Humberside. "But we had a lot of situations in the first half and a lot of counter situations, but our last decision wasn't the best.
"We created many chances, but we weren't clinical enough and, maybe, lost our heads in the last five minutes. We had more courage in the second half, and we showed we can maybe be on the same page as them."
As for Sunderland, who leapfrogged Burnley back to the top of the table, that is now seven wins from their opening 10 games.
"It's difficult to win away, especially at Hull," said head coach Regis le Bris. "In the first half, we dominated the ball but failed to break into the final third.
"The scenario in the second half was different. They kept the ball, and it was not easy to deal with the way they built up their attacks, and we did well.
"We were prepared to use our counter-attacks as we had that strength, and Wilson made the difference."
