Sunderland fans making the trip to Swansea over the weekend not only witnessed a thrilling win for the Black Cats, they also saw something that hasn’t happened in 26 years.
Not many teams have gone to the Liberty Stadium and come away with a win this season, and Sunderland looked to be down and out with Swansea going 2-0 up within 17 minutes on Saturday.
However, a first-half goal from Dan Ballard gave the Mackems hope going into half-time. Then, a quickfire second-half double salvo from Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham fired Regis Le Bris’ side to a stunning victory.
Le Bris has learned a lot about his Sunderland team lately, but one thing he may not have realised at the time is that the Black Cats achieved something incredibly rare with their win over Swansea.
Sunderland haven’t fought back from 2-0 down in the league since 1998
In an almost unfathomable fact for the history books, the win against Swansea City was the first time Sunderland have come back from 2-0 down to win a game in the Championship (or any league for that matter) since 1998.
The last time that feat was achieved came when Peter Reid’s Sunderland side went to the Hawthorns and turned a 2-0 deficit against West Brom into a 3-2 win on October 18, 1998.
A Lee Hughes brace had given the Baggies the lead going into half-time, but Sunderland came out strong in the second half.
Andy Melville gave the Black Cats hope after 67 minutes, before substitute Michael Bridges pulled them level with ten minutes of normal time to go. A dramatic winner was netted by Kevin Ball after 86 minutes to seal the legendary win.
It is worth noting that Sunderland have technically managed this twice since, albeit not in a league game.
They also fought back against Arsenal in the FA Cup in 2002, from 2-0 down to win 3-2, and managed to secure a 4-2 win against MK Dons in the League Cup in 2013 after finding themselves at a two-goal deficit.
Regis Le Bris continues to do amazing things at Sunderland
The win against Swansea this weekend provided Sunderland with a really important three points as they continue to challenge at the top of the Championship table, and it’s a result that really sums up what Le Bris is managing to do with the Sunderland squad.
Earlier this season, Sunderland were joint-worst in the league when it came to overturning a deficit, with the young players clearly struggling to find the resilience and grit needed to grind out results.
| Championship rank | Club | Deficits | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Points gained |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =24th | Swansea City | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| =24th | Millwall | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| =24th | Preston North End | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| =24th | Stoke City | 11 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 2 |
| 20th | Derby County | 12 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3 |
| 19th | Cardiff City | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 |
| 18th | Sheffield United | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| =5th | Sunderland | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
Over the last week we have seen a big change in Sunderland with the Black Cats now picking up seven points from losing positions in the last three games.
Any project in football takes time, but Le Bris’ impact is steadily taking shape at Sunderland. The fact he inherited such a young yet talented squad means he has been able to really imprint his philosophies on the team, and that is truly starting to pay off now.