Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal: WOW! What a point! James Copley and Phil Smith react at the Stadium of Light
After a decade of heartbreak and humiliation, Sunderland fans finally have a team that reflects their spirit, grit and pride
There’s a moment in Sunderland ’Til I Die, just after the loss to Charlton in the League One play-off final, when Michelle Barraclough wipes a tear from her cheek and asks the question every Sunderland fan has carried around for generations: “Why is it never us celebrating?”
Well, right now, it IS us – and long may that continue. Because what we’re witnessing at the Stadium of Light in 2025 feels like a once-in-a-generation upswing after years of hurt, drift and division. The atmosphere against Arsenal was another reminder of how alive the place has become. One of Régis Le Bris’ most-used words since he walked through the doors in July has been “connection”. And you can see it everywhere: between players and fans, fans and ownership, coaches and players, the city and the team.
That connection has grown powerful. It's real. And it reflects something deeper about Sunderland itself. The identity of this team mirrors the identity of the city – industrious but beautiful. There is the hard work and graft that has passed through generations of coal mines, shipyards and car plants. Sweat, toil and ruggedness. The tackles, the toughness, the willingness to run, to press, to suffer. But there is also the style, flair and cleverness that belongs to Sunderland too – the glassworks, the historic brewers, the creativity and pride stitched into the culture, the beauty of the beaches and open spaces. That mix of graft and grace is exactly what this team now gives back to the people who fill the stands every week.
And, in my 31 years following Sunderland, I’ve never known a period quite like this. Think back to the Coventry City play-off semi-final first leg – Mayenda’s winner, then Dan Ballard’s goal in the second leg, scenes that will live forever. Then Wembley: Mayenda’s equaliser, Tommy Watson’s stoppage-time winner. Then came the 3–0 demolition of West Ham on the opening day of the Premier League season. Sunderland backed it up by dispatching Brentford and Wolves, taking three points at Nottingham Forest, and earning a really strong draw at Aston Villa.
Then came Chemsdine Talbi’s late winner at Stamford Bridge. And Brian Brobbey’s just-as-late equaliser against Arsenal under the lights. These are the moments people spend thousands every year chasing. Not because they expect success, but because of what it feels like when it finally arrives. These late goals aren’t luck anymore – they’re a feature. This season alone, Sunderland have scored in the 92nd minute twice, the 93rd, the 96th… and now the 94th thanks to Brobbey against Arsenal. Last season’s play-offs? Goals in the 88th, 95th and 123rd minutes. Once or twice is a fluke. This is a pattern. A testament to coaching, mentality and fitness.
And think about where this club was not long ago. As of December 2019, under Phil Parkinson, Sunderland dropped as low as 15th in League One. The ownership at the time appeared determined to split the fanbase and pit supporter against supporter. The club was drifting, divided and joyless. Now? Sunderland sit fourth in the Premier League under Le Bris. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is doing everything he can to unite Wearside. The stadium is bouncing every week. The team is fearless. The city is buzzing. The club feels whole again.
But to understand why this period is so special, you have to dig deeper to remember where Sunderland have come from. With help from my friends at Roker Report. Supporters watched the most popular manager in a generation leave for the England job and get sacked after one match. They saw his replacement arrive reluctantly, talk about relegation within weeks, and oversee the slide. They watched high-earning players sit out games – Jack Rodwell most painfully – while others like Papy Djilobodji, Didier Ndong, Darren Gibson and Joleon Lescott symbolised a club drifting without standards.
They lived through the Ricky Álvarez saga. They saw Sunderland reject a huge bid for Lamine Koné only to lose him for nothing later. They travelled to see heavy defeats at Everton, Arsenal, Burnley, Swansea, Stoke and Southampton. They watched the club become a prop in John Terry’s Chelsea send-off after a 5–1 loss. And they watched on Netflix as the club fell into League One and then remained there for four years.
Fans remember the pink seats. The academy being hollowed out. Martin Bain’s era. Margaret Byrne’s exit. Simon Grayson’s famous flip chart, then his sacking in the tunnel. Darron Gibson’s infamous nights out and drunk-driving incident. Jason Steele handballing 10 yards outside the box at QPR. A goalkeeper scoring against us for Carlisle. Max Power’s shot against Lincoln City nearly clearing the East Stand.
They remember Grayson to Chris Coleman to Jack Ross, to Phil Parkinson. Will Grigg arriving for a fee everyone knew was too high, and a loan striker turning down Sunderland because the club wouldn’t book him a hotel. Rochdale making commemorative mugs to mark simply playing Sunderland. Losing 5–1 to Rotherham, 6–0 to Bolton, 4–0 at Fratton Park, 3–0 at Hillsborough. A former academy player scoring twice against Sunderland for Gillingham. Four years in League One. Mansfield knocking Sunderland out of the FA Cup – twice – during a pandemic season supporters couldn’t attend.
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Fans remember 15th in League One at Christmas 2019. They remember the ground falling apart. They remember the feeling of sleepwalking. They remember ownership dividing the fanbase, and the club drifting further and further from its identity. And yet… supporters kept going. They filled Trafalgar Square four times. They kept buying shirts with charity stickers plastered over the crest. They travelled to Accrington, Shrewsbury, Fleetwood, Wimbledon and Cheltenham. They bought season tickets during a season when they weren’t allowed inside the stadium. They forced out owners who didn’t care and backed ones who did. They believed in change and stuck with the project when it was still fragile.
Who knows how long the magic carpet ride will last – and honestly, who cares? In the immortal words of another Sunderland fan, the late Davey Atkinson: “Let’s get carried away, man.” If you can’t enjoy periods like this, you’re missing the whole point. Drink it in. Feel it. Let’s ride it until the wheels come off. Because we know better than anyone how bad it can get… and how quickly things can turn. Right now, though? It is us – and it feels glorious.
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