Sunderland battled their way to a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon
It was not glamorous, not even in the slightest. The terraces won’t cook up any beloved chants about it, there will be no slow motion compilations sound-tracked by Frank Sinatra and expertly crafted to leave you misty-eyed every time they wander across your timeline. You certainly won’t be recounting it to the grandkids years from now, when the summer of 2025 is but a distant memory and they are sick to the back teeth of hearing you harp on about some French bloke called Regis Le Bris.
And yet, in its own way, Sunderland’s gritty, battling 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon was quite brilliant. For the first time this season, the Black Cats found themselves cornered by a side most onlookers fancied to beat them, and in response, they cracked their knuckles, stood firm, and saw out the brief.
Of course, it would be wrong to suggest this was some kind of one-sided affair. For the first 80 minutes of the contest, the visitors more than held their own at Selhurst Park, going blow for blow with one of the most consistently underrated outfits in the Premier League - and the FA Cup and Community Shield holders to boot - and matching them. Indeed, there were even periods - namely those when Granit Xhaka would ease into his magisterial groove and Noah Sadiki would surge up and up through the gears - during which Sunderland looked to be wrestling control of proceedings from their hosts.
In his post match press conference, Le Bris spoke of his satisfaction with how well his players asserted themselves in those moments, and while the Black Cats lacked a certain cutting edge - none of their six shots across the 90 minutes were on target - they didn’t look remotely out of place against a stellar opponent.
By contrast, in his own address to the media after the final whistle, Palace boss Oliver Glasner was unequivocal in his conviction that his side should have taken all three points on home soil. The reasons they didn’t - looking at it from a Sunderland perspective, at least - were ultimately several-fold.
Robin Roefs will no doubt grab the headlines, much as he seemingly grabs every ball above shoulder height that gets catapulted anywhere towards his general vicinity. The Dutchman put in the kind of display at Selhurst Park that makes neutrals sit up and take notice. Multiple saves defied accepted wisdom, and, as alluded to above, the command with which he collects crosses and marshals his penalty area nips an awful lot of danger in the bud before it is allowed to germinate.
But this was by no means a case of Roefs single-handedly holding off a Palace siege. For one thing, right up until the final ten minutes or so, there was no real siege to speak of; occasional openings and chances, sure, but not a prolonged period of suffocation from which Sunderland struggle to escape. For another, equally as impressive were the Black Cats’ defensive efforts.
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When Nordi Mukiele arrived on Wearside, we were told that he was predominantly a full-back. If this is him playing out of position, the rest of the Premier League should be trembling in fear. Few players have the gumption and the guile to embrace a full-blooded physical showdown with Jean-Philippe Mateta, and to still come out the other side with their head held high and their clean sheet intact. The 27-year-old anticipates potential threats with such intelligence, and is so canny in the way that he uses his body to shepherd attacking players and protect the ball, that it is hard to envisage him dropping out of the starting XI, even when Dan Ballard is fit again and even with the arrival of Lutsharel Geertruida.
Alongside him, Omar Alderete exudes pure, weapons grade class. The Paraguayan is unflappable, so often acting as a link and an accomplice for Xhaka in front of him, not afraid to put his foot on the ball and slow things down so that Sunderland can exert a measure of control that many of us are still, frankly, getting used to. Nor is he above delving into the uglier side of his duties either. If there is an aerial challenge to be made, Alderete will make it. If there is a shot to be blocked, you can rest assured that the centre-back will be there, hurling some part of his anatomy or other in front of it.
Between them, Sunderland have managed to parachute in a pair of players who are, without a shadow of a doubt, continental calibre talents. They are perfectly emblematic of a recruitment policy that has been intent on ensuring that the Black Cats do not become yet more newly promoted relegation fodder.
And on the evidence of what we witnessed in South London this weekend, Le Bris’ men have what it takes to break the mould. They have both the confidence and quality to play football against a very astute Premier League outfit away from home in a raucous atmosphere, and, when required, they can dig their heels in, shut up shop, and grind out a result. The two in combination could prove to be endlessly valuable over the course of their bid for survival.
It might only have been a draw, and it might not even live that long in the memory, but Sunderland can take plenty of heart from the performance they produced in SE25.
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