Sunderland beat Cardiff City 2-0 in their opening game of the new season.
Sunderland got underway under new boss Regis Le Bris in the 2024/25 Championship season on Saturday.
Sunderland appointed Le Bris earlier this summer and the Frenchman took his side to Wales to face a Cardiff City side who enjoyed a strong pre-season.
But it was Sunderland who went into half-time with the lead thanks to a rare Luke O’Nien goal, with Dennis Cirkin returning from injury grabbing the assist upon his return to Championship action.
Patrick Roberts was among the standout players in the first half, and whilst Sunderland looked a bit shakier in the second, they eventually doubled their lead and sealed the win through Jack Clarke.
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Sunderland fans all say the same thing about Dennis Cirkin after Cardiff City opener
Cirkin made his return to the starting XI against Cardiff City.
The former Spurs man featured just eight times in the Championship last season as injury took over.
But upon his return against Cardiff, Sunderland fans were reminded of the quality he brings to the side.
One Sunderland fan described him as a “great player”, with another writing on X: “The ability to defend and go forward is such an importance”.
Another wrote: “This game so far showing how much we missed Cirkin last season,” and another said: “Words cannot describe what a miss he has been.”
Meanwhile, one Sunderland fan added that the team is “so much better” with Cirkin in it.
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Dennis Cirkin presence forgotten at Sunderland
Cirkin really endured a tough last season with Sunderland, with multiple injuries preventing him from progressing.
He showed a lot of promise up until last season and it was always going to prove difficult for him to bed back in this time round.
But the 22-year-old made it look easy. He was up and down the left flank, providing good coverage in defence and then of course grabbing himself an assist too.
Staying fit will be the main aim for him this season. But Le Bris the Sunderland fans now that he can be a real key player in this new season, with his ceiling still very high.
On the whole, Sunderland under Le Bris got off to a pretty much perfect start, and they’ve now set the bar for the next few weeks.