Sunderland worked hard to grind out a 1-0 win over Derby County at Pride Park on Tuesday night, and Anthony Patterson believes that is a sign of real improvement for the Black Cats.
Despite intense pressure from the home side in the second half, Sunderland grabbed all three points on their trip to Derby and jump up to third place in the Championship table.
Sunderland’s ‘golden boy’ Eliezer Mayenda made all the difference with his first-half strike, but the Black Cats had to hold firm and be resilient towards the end, too.
For Anthony Patterson, that performance and the result itself are evidence of the immense progress Sunderland have made recently under the stewardship of Regis Le Bris.
Sunderland wouldn’t have beaten Derby County 2-3 years ago
Speaking after the game on the club’s official Twitter/X account, Patterson revealed that members of the Sunderland squad discussed the win in the dressing room, and agreed that they wouldn’t have gotten the result in the recent past.
He said: “I think one of the lads said it in the dressing room, you look back 2-3 years ago and this is the kind of game that might have been really difficult for us to get the three points, but we defended really well and managed to come away with the 1-0 win.”
Already this season, we have seen Sunderland overturn deficits to pick up points, keep clean sheets in difficult situations, and Regis Le Bris produce tactical ‘masterstrokes’ to defeat the likes of Sheffield United.
It’s testament to the coach’s influence, and the players’ grit and determination that they are securing positive results from challenging games; something that the best teams always seem to do.
Anthony Patterson was key to Sunderland win vs Derby
As Patterson said, a strong defensive display was important on Tuesday night, and he was right at the heart of that.
Keeping a clean sheet is always fulfilling for any ‘keeper, but the manner in which Patterson held onto that against Derby is all the more impressive, with Patterson producing three saves on the night.
| Statistics | Anthony Patterson (2024/25) |
|---|---|
| Saves | 3 |
| xG prevented | 1.04 |
| High claims | 1 |
| Punches | 1 |
| Pass success | 67% |
Overall, he prevented an xG of 1.04, meaning Derby certainly could and should have levelled the game. Two saves in particular stand out, denying Derby’s new signing, Lars-Joregen Salveson in almost identical scenarios twice in the second half.
Patterson has been criticised by Sunderland fans for his poor distribution, but there is no denying that he does far more good than bad for this team, and is the lynchpin holding the defensive line together.