Sunderland secured seventh place in the Premier League and Europa League football by beating Chelsea 2-1
Régis Le Bris paid tribute to Trai Hume after the Sunderland stalwart's second goal of the Premier League campaign sent the Black Cats on their way to a famous win over Chelsea and a place in the Europa League.
Hume has progressed with Sunderland from League One to seventh in the world's top tier, playing more minutes than anyone other than Robin Roefs and Enzo Le Fée across all competitions. The Northern Ireland international has done that while displaying his trademark versatility, returning in recent weeks to his role on the right wing in front of an attacking full back. While that has been a regular source of debate amongst fans, Le Bris backed Hume to the hilt in his pre-match press conference.
Though the Sunderland head coach was pleased to see that faith justified on a famous afternoon at the Stadium of Light, it came as no surprise.
"It's good, it's really nice to have this conversation one week ago, and then he scored," Le Bris said.
"Often we try to analyse the players with a technical lens, but it's more than that. It's about connection, hard work, connection between players and balance. Trai is a good example of a really good player, a strong team-mate, always working hard for the team, and then after that you can have an emergence and it was the case for him today."
RLB on Trai Hume and Luke O’Nien’s role in famous day
Sunderland's win also owed much to another stalwart of the club's rise through the divisions, with Luke O'Nien producing an excellent showing on his return to the starting XI. O'Nien defended well throughout and played a key part in the crucial second goal, his pass through the lines finding Brian Brobbey as Sunderland poured forward.
Le Bris said the pair had been crucial in maintaining the identity in the dressing room after a major summer overhaul.
"It's good for them, because they are so well connected with the identity of the club, they set the tone," Le Bris said.
"They helped the new lads when they came to the club to understand what our identity was, and they were really important."
Both now look set for a crucial role next season as Sunderland contend with an increased fixture schedule.
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