Sunderland 1-1 Everton - instant reaction from the Stadium of Light
Sunderland moved to 18 points from 10 games after a draw with Everton at the Stadium of Light
Phil Smith was there reporting for The Echo and these were his key conclusions...
SUNDERLAND WON'T BE GOING UNDER THE RADAR ANY LONGER
The opening exchanges of this game were proof, if any were needed, that Sunderland cannot expect to go under the radar any longer. If there was any belief still lingering that their start to the season was a fluke powered by a generous fixture list, their performance against Chelsea dispelled it once and for all. Everton are a counterattacking team by nature but their willingness to sit off and let Sunderland have the ball early on was a mark of this growing respect.
That Everton's XG was almost three times that of Sunderland's at the half-time interval despite the hosts having over 60% possession was a reflection of the teething problems the Black Cat encountered with this new tactical dilemma. They weren't always comfortable in the Championship with this level of the ball, so perhaps it was no surprise they struggled initially against a team with Everton's structure and counterattacking ability. Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye were excellent, and had Thierno Barry converted the former's cross around half an hour in then it would surely have been game as good as over.
Arsenal on Saturday is this weekend likely to be a very different game but especially on home turf, Sunderland might have to get used to this a little more. The Stadium of Light will be seen less as an opportunity for three points against a newly-promoted teams and more as an awkward assignment to get through. Teams will alter their approach accordingly, as Everton did here. Sunderland can take great heart, then, that they ended up with a much superior XG an almost double the number of shots as Everton by the time the full-whistle blew. They had assumed complete control of the game with the ball, when usually they are more comfortable doing so without. There may not have been many golden chances, but Sunderland were the better side and particularly through Granit Xhaka and Enzo Le Fée, they showed the quality to find gaps in the opposition defence.
Slowly but surely, this is a team evolving and beginning to add some new layers to their game.
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FANS CAN TAKE COMFORT FROM POST-MATCH REACTION
Le Bris said that opening half an hour was perhaps a bit of a lesson to his players, about the level of player in this league and how quickly you can be punished if you're not at your very best. Ndiaye's goal was a moment of genuine individual brilliance, and Grealish was inches away from a couple of game-defining moments of his own.
The reaction from the dressing room gave some reassurance that the players saw it the same was as their head coach. Xhaka said that three points had been lost in that sloppy start, and spoke of his frustration that a poor training session on Sunday had crept into the game. Le Fée spoke of the frustration within the group that they had fallen short of their standards in the opening half an hour. It bodes well moving forward that Sunderland are determined to improve, and even more so that many individuals on the pitch came through a torrid opening to end the game strongly.
Players such as Dan Ballard and Noah Sadiki made some uncharacteristic errors through the opening half an hour or so, but were part of the dominant display thereafter. It's a positive reflection of the mentality of the group that they can stay in games and find the solutions even from difficult moments. Sunderland have now earned eight points from losing positions.
BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE - THIS WAS A GOOD POINT
Le Bris was asked after the game if frustration was his overriding emotion but made clear it was not. He saw it the other way - that this is still a young side adjusting to the level and that if anything it only served to underline just how difficult it is to win points at this level. Expectations are shifting and that is exciting, but Le Bris was keen to stress that no one should lose sight of the bigger picture. This is another point in the right direction. It's easy to forget now that there was a little bit of nervousness around Sunderland as they came into this little block of fixtures, having lost to Manchester United and with the fixture list growing more daunting. Seven points from nine since then is a superb return, and so this draw ultimately should be seen as one that pushes Sunderland closer to where they need to be.
LE BRIS GIVES TELLING PENALTY RESPONSE
Le Bris is from the Wenger school of discussing refereeing incidents. For a head coach so switched on and focused on the game, he has an uncanny ability to miss its most controversial talking points. So a question on whether Noah Sadiki was fouled in the build up to the opening goal was swatted aside. When the discussion turned to Michael Keane's block of a cross inside his own box, Le Bris said he hadn't seen it but that his bench had told him it was a penalty. This as close as you'll ever get to Le Bris saying his team have been wronged. Keane's arm was judged by VAR to have been in a 'justifiable' position, odd given that both hands were pushed out towards the ball. Even more odd was how quickly a very tight call was seemingly dismissed by the VAR officials. VAR has served Sunderland well in the main so far, but they were unlucky here.
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