Regis Le Bris can breathe a sigh of relief this evening after finally seeing his Sunderland set get back to winning ways against Stoke City in the lunchtime kick-off.
Sunderland fans braved the wind and rain to fill out the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon, with the Black Cats looking for their first win in six games.
It was a crucial game for Sunderland as they attempted to keep their season on track, after that terrific start propelled them into the promotion fight.
Tommy Watson was the hero on the day, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win, but Regis Le Bris has revealed how happy he is with the whole team.
Sunderland remained persistent despite missed chances vs Stoke City
Speaking to the press after the game (via the Sunderland Twitter/X account), Le Bris highlighted the way the game followed a very similar pattern to recent weeks, and praised the fact his players managed to keep going to get the three points.
He said: “It was a tough game. Stoke played well, they had good quality in possession, and it was difficult to find right balance when we had to press, they attracted our midfielders and played short diagonal passes that we struggled with in the game.
“We created many chances today and didn’t give up. It could have been the case with so many chances; we’ve had this same scenario more or less against Millwall, West Brom, and Sheffield United, so it was the fourth game with that same mood.
“But, we kept going until the end and it’s a good reward because we deserved to win. The players are happy, but we have to play another game very quickly, so we have to enjoy this but then recover and go again.”
Sunderland dominated the game, statistically, with data from SofaScore revealing the Black Cats racked up an xG of 2.37 to Stoke’s 0.62, largely thanks to 24 shots from Sunderland and five big chances overall.
In the end, Sunderland had ten shots on target, and Tommy Watson even hit the woodwork once. To be honest, Le Bris will probably be disappointed his team didn’t win by a bigger margin, but will be thankful for the three points nonetheless.
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Sunderland players showed a shift in mentality to come back against Stoke
Until today, Sunderland were joint-worst in the Championship when it comes to fighting back from losing positions, so this is a big step for a young team to have battled and won the game.
With the youngest average age among playing squads in the division, it is only natural that Sunderland would lack a certain mental fortitude and it has to be said that Le Bris’ team have struggled to grind out results at times.
That certainly wasn’t the case against Stoke, though, and there’s a real chance that Sunderland can now turn a corner and start being more resilient and resolute.
This is the kind of experience that young players can lean on and call on when they need that same mentality in future, and through all the struggles of late, this win will feel even more sweet, especially given the manner of the comeback.