Last month, at Stamford Bridge, Brian Brobbey teed up Chemsdine Talbi as the two replacements combined to secure a 2-1 win over Chelsea.
This evening Brobbey was at it again, coming off the bench in the 63rd minute and swivelling to fire home a dramatic equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Le Bris needs his ‘starters’ to lay the foundations for a positive result – but he now knows he can rely on his ‘finishers’ to deliver a dramatic denouement.
“Our four subs were really important because we are in this league, and probably our game model is really demanding for our forwards,” said the Sunderland boss. “They don't just have to stay wide waiting for the next pass, you have to work hard with the squad otherwise we can't defend against a strong squad like Arsenal.
“So, they worked well for 60 minutes, then four players came on the pitch [Brobbey, Talbi, Simon Adingra and Eliezer Mayenda] and those finishers helped to maintain the energy, the quality of the organisation and they have different profiles.”
Brobbey stole the headlines as he claimed his first goal since joining Sunderland from Ajax on deadline day.
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The Dutch striker showed impressive strength to muscle ahead of Gabriel as well as commendable composure as he swivelled to hook home a brilliant finish.
Le Bris admitted Brobbey was short of match sharpness when he moved to Wearside from the Netherlands, but while he is yet to select the 23-year-old in one of his starting line-ups, he has been impressed by the way in which the striker has improved during his time at Sunderland.
“We feel that he has improved a lot,” said the Sunderland boss. “He needed time to change from another club to a new club, a new league, new team-mates, so he worked hard and I think he deserves this reward.
“When you start against Wilson [Isidor], for example, you know that it will be a threat in behind, even if he now has the ability to hold the ball. With Brian, you have another profile, totally different, and he is a good scorer as well.”