Sunderland players reacted on social media after defeating West Ham 3-0 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon
The Black Cats returned to the Premier League with a bang, sweeping aside West Ham United 3-0 on a day that will live long in the memory of supporters. After seven years outside the top flight, Régis Le Bris’ side announced themselves in emphatic fashion as goals from Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard, and Wilson Isidor secured three points and sent the Stadium of Light into raptures.
The atmosphere was electric throughout the afternoon, with the Roker End in full voice from the first whistle to the last. Sunderland, who have invested heavily this summer in order to give themselves the best chance of survival, showed both quality and resilience to overcome Graham Potter’s Hammers. It was a result that not only delivered the perfect start but also underlined the club’s ambition to prove they belong at this level.
After the final whistle, several of Sunderland’s players quickly took to Instagram to share their emotions with supporters. New signing Chemsdine Talbi, who made his Premier League debut in red and white, posted an image of himself on the ball and wrote: “GREAT first game!! What an atmosphere ❤️🤍”. His words summed up the mood among the new arrivals, who have been embraced by fans after a summer of change.
Habib Diarra also marked his debut with a celebratory post, captioning his upload: “Premier League S01 Ep01 👀✅”. The midfielder’s words reflected the sense of a new chapter beginning, with teammate Jenson Seelt responding with a string of heart emojis.
For Chris Rigg, the day carried particular personal significance. At just 18 years old, the academy graduate became one of the youngest players to appear for Sunderland in the Premier League era. After the match, he posted: “Lads were top today, fans were top today. Grateful to make my Premier League debut 💗🤍”.
Captain Granit Xhaka, meanwhile, posted one of the most eye-catching celebrations of the afternoon as he punched the air in front of the corner flag. The £17.5million summer signing and new skipper wrote: “What a start, what a welcome, what an atmosphere! 😍 Amazing afternoon.” His post rapidly racked up more than 30,000 likes, underlining the excitement around his arrival and his immediate influence on Wearside.
What did Régis Le Bris say after Sunderland vs West Ham?
Head coach Régis Le Bris hailed Sunderland’s players after their 3-0 victory over West Ham United but warned that humility and togetherness must remain central to their Premier League campaign.
The Black Cats returned to the top flight in style on Saturday, with second-half goals from Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard and Wilson Isidor sealing their first Premier League win in over eight years.
Le Bris was delighted with the way his players responded to half-time instructions after a challenging first half and praised their ability to execute the gameplan. He also revealed that captain Granit Xhaka addressed the squad post-match to stress the importance of staying united.
“I'm happy for the fans and the players and the club,” Le Bris said. “We had different phases of pre-season and we spoke about the layers we needed to add. It was obvious that it starts from the foundations – we showed that the team is working well.
He adde: “They were hard to beat in a mid to low block. The first half was a bit more difficult but during the second half we felt we could get opportunities through regains in the middle and that we could score through counter attacks.
“We didn't change many important things at half time. We spoke a bit about their goalkeeper restarts and our high press, we went for man for man and they found two or three opportunities with long balls. So it was really important to be strong in duels. We made just two or three little decisions, and it made a difference.”
Le Bris was also keen to highlight that Sunderland’s three goals came from players who were already at the club last season, despite a summer of heavy recruitment. “It's really important for two reasons, they showed they can step up [first and foremost],” he said.
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“We'll see later, but today it was the case. And it's really important because they keep the identity of the club and the way we worked last season. We built this strength about togetherness, the way we work as a team. The players worked well as a team and they showed that again today.”
The Frenchman added that while the opening-day victory was a proud moment for everyone connected to the club, Sunderland would remain focused on the long campaign ahead.
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