Sunderland are destined to finish in fourth place in the Championship this season, but they’re one of the worst in the division in one area and it could become a big problem.
The Black Cats returned to action after the international break with a 1-0 win over Millwall on Saturday afternoon. That win, twinned with defeats for Coventry City and West Brom all-but confirmed Sunderland’s place in the Championship table.
Regis Le Bris’ men have another seven games to navigate before the play-off adventure begins, and it’s all about gathering momentum now.
But, one weakness in the Sunderland armour reared its head again this weekend, and it’s one Le Bris will have to solve before it truly harms his team’s chances.
Sunderland have a horrendous conversion rate on penalties this season
Turns out, of all the teams in the second tier, only Watford have won more penalties (7) than Sunderland (5) in the 2024/25 campaign.
That sounds like good news. But, when you look at the conversion rate for the Black Cats from 12 yards, a worrying pattern emerges.
See, only Cardiff City have a worse record from the spot this season (0% scored), with Sunderland registering a 20% conversion rate from their five penalty kicks this year.
Sunderland have won as many penalties as the likes of Sheffield United, Stoke City, Portsmouth and Middlesbrough, but all four of those teams have a far better record when it comes to putting away their spot kicks.
Luckily, the latest miss for Sunderland wasn’t a complete disaster — Romaine Mundle’s reaction aside — as they still managed to get the three points.
Who has missed penalties for Sunderland, and who should take them now?
Of those five penalties awarded, only Patrick Roberts has managed to find the back of the net. Still, even he has missed one this season (against Sheffield United, a game Sunderland ended up losing 1-0).
Luke O’Nien’s miss was the least costly of them all this year, with the result already in the bag against Millwall. We should add, in his defence, the veteran defender had converted his last six spot kicks before that miss.
| Sunderland player | Penalty record this season |
| Patrick Roberts | Scored 1 out of 2 |
| Wilson Isidor | Scored 0 out of 2 |
| Luke O’Nien | Scored 0 out of 1 |
Wilson Isidor has also missed both of his penalties this season, and they both occurred in the same game. The Black Cats drew 0-0 with their promotion rivals at Turf Moor, with those misses arguably costing Sunderland the win, and resulting in the ‘worst day’ of Isidor’s career.
Luckily, if Le Bris needs inspiration as to who should take the next Sunderland penalty, our own Ethan Todd assessed all the options and decided Romaine Mundle would be the best bet, in spite of his emotional tantrum at the weekend.
With Sunderland heading for the play-offs, and the prospect of a penalty shootout very possibly determining whether they go up or stay in the Championship, it’s an issue the manager and his players need to get right as soon as possible.