Sunderland continued their remarkable turnaround in the Premier League campaign. Their unbeaten start continued with a convincing 2-0 win at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Stadium of Light. The game on Saturday was a reminder of Sunderland’s tactical mastery. From there, they pulled off an excellent passing sequence to kick things off and take the lead. Sunderland celebrated their fourth league victory of 2022! In doing so, they stayed undefeated at home, extending their league-leading form in front of their passionate supporters this season.
An intelligent system of play employed by the home team has fueled their success. As a result, they’ve jumped to seventh place on the overall league table. Sunderland haven’t had such a good opening at home since the 1968-69 campaign. It seems like ages ago, back when they conceded just 3 goals overall in their first 4 home games while collecting 10 points.
Match Highlights
Sunderland’s first goal came within the opening ten minutes of the first half, a surprisingly feathery combination play that featured both of their full-backs. In short, Nordi Mukiele exchanged a tidy one-two with Trai Hume on the cusp of the box. Mukiele fired in with a close-range finish. Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone helped him out big time by spilling the initial shot.
Tom Hume almost doubled that lead shortly after, his header flying just wide from a corner kick. Wilson Isidor took aim and blasted the ball into the net, celebrating what he thought was a goal. His effort was disallowed for offside.
Sunderland added a third in the dying moments of the first half. Ten minutes later, Ladislav Krejci unlucky misdirected a Sunderland through ball on goal into his own net, giving Sunderland a 2-0 lead.
Player Performances
Player of the Match award. The accompanying movement and pin-point finishing made him a principal actor in all Sunderland’s moments of attack. Both Arthur Masuaku and Simon Adingra were pulled from the starting lineup in favor of Dan Ballard and Chris Rigg.
Sunderland’s bench featured Neil, Geertruida, and Talbi Mayenda. These three players were pivotal in maintaining the team’s midfield pressure throughout the match. This victory was a huge testament to Sunderland’s depth and resilience as they have taken up the momentum gained from a strong start to the season.
Manager’s Insights
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris (above) sounded a note of contentment with his side’s performance after the game.
“Important win, tough win. I think we started well. I’m really pleased with the first half; it was like expected.” – Regis Le Bris
While very happy with their defensive solidity, Le Bris admitted that his side needed to be more clinical in attack, underlining how crucial taking chances is.
“Today, it was very important for us. We need to improve the way that we attack the box, the way we are crossing and when we assist well, we need to score.” – Regis Le Bris
Sunderland’s players and staff are looking ahead to their first home games. Their very solid head start has definitely created a mighty fine buzz for the rest of this fall season!
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