Sunderland “momentum” continues to build as sorry Spurs slain at the Stadium of Light
The Black Cats were wasteful in the final third, but their performance was deserving of all three points, which they claimed thanks to Nordi Mukiele.
Not long ago there was a fear that Sunderland’s season had fizzled out. Safety in the Premier League had been confirmed for another season, which was the club’s main target at the beginning of the campaign. The Black Cats had lost their previous three home fixtures in succession, when at one stage they had been the only club left unbeaten at home in the top flight. However, it is amazing what a win in a derby can do for a team.
Such was Sunderland’s spirit as a result of their away win at Newcastle prior to the international break, there was only ever going to be one winner when Tottenham Hotspur made the trip to Wearside, with Spurs sat, rather uncomfortably, in the relegation zone. One-nil it finished, but it should have been more, way more.
Régis Le Bris said that Sunderland had three main objectives in this fixture, “to be adaptive… proactive… and to generate momentum early”. All three they did, and Spurs simply could not deal with them. All that was lacking was the finishing touch in the final third, but instead of displaying composure, Sunderland were lacklustre.
The Black Cats were fortunate that their opponents were so devoid of confidence and quality, because other teams may have punished them, despite putting in stellar performances in other key areas of the pitch.
Even the winning goal came with a huge slice of fortune. Nordi Mukiele marauded forward and stuck a effort which appeared to be rather tame until a huge deflection off Micky van de Ven sent it shooting in another direction. Antonín Kinský was left helpless as the ball dropped into the net, and for Spurs, it felt like another nail in the coffin.
Roberto De Zerbi believed that his side did well in the first half, but apart from a penalty that was awarded to them (and then correctly overturned, owing to Omar Alderete getting a toe to the ball), they did not look like a team with any fight.
De Zerbi was keen to back his players though, making clear that “the players of Tottenham are all good guys, they are suffering in this moment”. That won’t do much to appease supporters, who want to see grit and determination on the pitch, not sulking off it.
They should take a look at their opponents on this occasion, who for the majority of the season have shown just how far unity and togetherness can take a team. Once again Sunderland were stronger, and first to every second ball. They were composed, confident and streetwise.
Of course, Le Bris will have concerns that only one goal came from such a display - Granit Xhaka and Brian Brobbey both going close in the first half, but the Sunderland Head Coach did point out that “the knowledge of the team is getting better”. The fact of the matter is that even without scoring a barrage of goals every game, they are very effective at getting results.
And so, with the dust settled on another win, once again comes the question of Europe. Sunderland are very much in the mix, and although Le Bris said that “it’s not on my mind”, he was slightly more open to the possibility of such an achievement.
He continued, “the main objective was to stay in this league, now it is achieved. The ambition is to be a top ten club in the Premier League. If you are consistent you can reach another level.”
Whether Sunderland can reach their ‘next level’ will depend on whether they can continue to be effective in grinding out results without that clinical edge in front of goal. This victory against Spurs would suggest so. Therefore, with six games remaining this season, the Black Cats are still very much on track to doing something very special under Régis Le Bris.