Dan Neil shares what happened ‘last year’ to spark unusual celebration in Sunderland’s win vs Middlesbrough, he’s ‘happy’ to get revenge

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Sunderland got the better of their North East rivals Middlesbrough on Monday night, and skipper Dan Neil absolutely loved it.

An away trip to the Riverside is never easy, but for Sunderland, the 3-2 win this week was the first time the Black Cats had prevailed away at Middlesbrough in 20 years.

An Enzo Le Fee masterclass was ultimately the difference between the two teams, but it was Dan Neil’s first-half goal (via a huge deflection) that dragged Sunderland back into the game after falling behind early on.

While Neil’s celebration for that goal was nothing compared to Wilson Isidor’s antics at full-time, the Sunderland captain still had some explaining to do.

• READ MORE: Regis Le Bris reveals key half-time demand that helped Sunderland achieve ‘very good win’ over Middlesbrough

Dan Neil relished revenge over Middlesbrough

After firing in his goal, Neil ran over to the Middlesbrough supporters with his hands to his ears, a clear signal that he was blocking out their noise. Speaking to the Sunderland Echo about the result and that provocative celebration on the night, Neil admitted how much he enjoyed the win.

He said: “I think last year at home, I got a lot of stick. I’m happy to do the double on them this year, because like I said, it’s a really tough place to come and we’ve struggled here the last two years.

“We nicked a point last year. We probably didn’t deserve to nick a point last year, but today I thought we fully deserved the three points, and it could have been by more, to be honest.”

Indeed, Sunderland had the better of the game overall, plenty of chances, and never really looked like losing it to Middlesbrough in the end. Regis Le Bris got his tactics spot on, the players gave it everything, and dominated ‘Boro in their own home rather impressively.

• READ MORE: One-time Sunderland record signing ‘loved watching’ new man who ‘shone like a beacon’ in win over Middlesbrough

Who can stop Sunderland now?

With that victory on Monday, Sunderland have cleared yet another big hurdle as they continue to push for promotion.

Given the form the Black Cats are in, and that impressive unbeaten home record at the Stadium of Light, it’s really hard to imagine them dropping many points in the final 16 games of the campaign.

Looking ahead, obviously that away day against league leaders Leeds United will be incredibly tough, but that is by far the most difficult game left for Sunderland now.

If Sunderland can keep up that run at home, and grind out results against the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, West Brom, and Norwich in tricky away games, there’s no reason the Black Cats can’t go all the way and secure one of those top two spots come the end of the season.

Surely, the Sunderland squad are full of confidence and will feel unbeatable at the moment. They’re yet to be beaten in the league in 2025, and long may that continue.