Sunderland’s win over Sheffield United keeps them within touching distance of the title race, and they should be commended for that.
Against all odds, Sunderland continue to be in the fight at the top of the Championship table, and they are now just two points off the automatic promotion spots.
Whether Sunderland can remain on track for promotion as the season goes on or not remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that Regis Le Bris has already done an incredible job.
Chris Mepham claimed Sunderland passed a ‘massive’ test against the Blades, but the victory says far more about their season when you look at the bigger picture.
Sunderland are flying even without parachute payments
Discussing Sunderland on the latest episode of the Championship Check-In podcast, Benjamin Bloom insisted the Black Cats deserve even more credit for the fact they’re competing with Leeds United, Burnley, and Sheffield United, who have all benefited from Premier League football in recent years.
He said: “Let’s give Sunderland credit because they’re keeping this a four-horse race and it’s difficult isn’t it? You’ve got three parachute payment teams to go against and Sunderland are keeping in touch.
“If they can take it to Easter and still have it as a four-horse race — perhaps first place might be gone by then — but if you’re still in the fight for automatic promotion, I think that is a superb job by Regis Le Bris and the Sunderland squad against powerful sides.”
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 25 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 45 | 16 | 29 | 52 |
| 2 |  BurnleyBurnley | 25 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 30 | 9 | 21 | 49 |
| 3 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 25 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 34 | 16 | 18 | 49 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 25 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 38 | 22 | 16 | 47 |
| 5 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 25 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 42 | 31 | 11 | 40 |
| 6 |  West BromWest Brom | 25 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 31 | 20 | 11 | 39 |
Key:
Position 1 – 2 : PromotionPosition 3 – 6 : Promotion Playoffs
Position 22 – 24 : Relegation
Bloom added: “They’ve been in the Premier League recently and have great squads, and that financial bonus when you come down. People talk about players, but if you make the comparison of the teams who don’t have [parachute payments] and teams that do, there are definite financial disparities.”
It won’t be easy for the Black Cats to get one of those top two spots, of course, but Bloom highlighted exactly what is needed, suggesting: “They’re in with a real chance of getting this done. They’ve got to keep up the intensity and get where they were in those first couple of months of the season when they were outstanding.”
If Sunderland don’t get promoted this year, they certainly will in 2026
Whatever happens this season, Sunderland have been mightily impressive, and the foundations are there for some real success in the long-term, too.
With the incredible talent coming through the Sunderland academy, and the players Le Bris is and will continue to add to his squad as time goes on, it can’t be long before we see the Black Cats back in the top flight.
It’s hard to see anything other than the trio of Leeds, Burnley, and the Blades going up this year, but the Championship will be Sunderland’s for the taking next season.