Sunderland were back at the Stadium of Light against Brentford as Le Bris made two changes – here are three things we learned
Sunderland returned to Premier League action at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon and produced late drama as Wilson Isidor’s stoppage-time winner sealed a thrilling 2-1 victory over Brentford.
Régis Le Bris made two changes from the side that lost to Burnley last weekend, handing Nordi Mukiele his first league start alongside Omar Alderete at centre-half and starting Enzo Le Fée on the left flank in place of Simon Adingra.
With the Stadium of Light crowd creating another electric atmosphere, Sunderland climbed to six points from their opening three games back in the top-flight.Here are four things we learned from Sunderland’s latest Premier League outing:
1. Enzo Le Fée offers something different to Simon Adingra
Enzo Le Fée added a new dimension to Sunderland’s attack compared to Simon Adingra. While Adingra tends to play high and wide as a traditional winger, Le Fée’s midfield instincts saw him drift inside to link play and create passing options.
His movement gave Sunderland more control in possession, working closely with Noah Sadiki, who regularly dropped into left-back to allow Reinildo to overlap. That shape helped Sunderland edge Brentford in possession with 54.4% of the ball and gave Le Fée greater influence in dictating the tempo. The Frenchman also played a part in Sunderland’s winner, passing the ball to Granit Xhaka before Isidor’s goal.
2. Central defensive continuity will be key
Sunderland’s defensive rotation continued as Mukiele partnered Alderete, the club’s fourth different centre-back pairing in three Premier League games.Despite limited time together, the pair combined well, helping Sunderland limit Brentford to seven shots and 14 touches inside the box.
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Sunderland created more attacking pressure of their own, registering 12 shots and 15 touches inside Brentford’s area, suggesting they’re growing more comfortable at home in controlling matches. With the transfer deadline approaching and Sunderland looking to bring in another defender, settling on a consistent partnership at the back will be vital for long-term stability and could prove crucial to the Black Cats’ survival bid this season.
3. Wilson Isidor just gets the club
Wilson Isidor’s stoppage-time winner capped an emotional afternoon for the French striker. After being caught on the head by Caoimhín Kelleher earlier in the second half, he recovered to win the penalty for Sunderland’s equaliser before scoring the decisive 96th-minute goal.
Isidor’s reaction at full-time said it all, visibly moved to tears as he celebrated in front of the home crowd, just one day after the birth of his daughter. His bond with the supporters is growing rapidly, as is that of the wider squad, highlighted by Habib Diarra constantly geeing up the fans after crunching tackles. That connection between supporters and players is going to be important as the season wears on.
4. The Stadium of Light crowd is making the difference
On that note, it’s no coincidence that Sunderland have performed strongly at home so far this season compared to their results away to Burnley. The Stadium of Light atmosphere played a huge role again, with over 45,000 fans creating a wall of noise throughout.
A series of crunching first-half tackles from Le Fée, Diarra and Reinildo set the tone and brought the crowd to life, helping Sunderland sustain pressure and keep their energy levels high in key moments. If the early trend continues, home form could prove decisive in the club’s Premier League survival bid. That, coupled with a settled and quality defensive shape reinforced in the transfer window by another attacker, may have just given us a glimpse of Le Bris’ Premier League survival blueprint.
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