Derby County manager Paul Warne isn’t shy of showing his emotions. He’s often brutally honest when sharing his opinions, and his opinions were shared on Sunderland after the two teams met on Tuesday night.
Sunderland headed to Pride Park looking to maintain their unbeaten start to 2025. Barring that defeat against Stoke City in the FA Cup, Sunderland won their opening two Championship fixtures of 2025, then drew 0-0 against Burnley before heading to Derby County.
Regis Le Bris’ side got another three points on the board with a hard-fought 1-0 win against the Rams. Eliezer Mayenda scored what proved to be the only goal of the game, though Wilson Isidor had a goal disallowed in bizarre circumstances during the second half.
Enzo Le Fee shone for Sunderland once again. Jobe Bellingham also had a good game in the middle of the pitch, with the Black Cats largely dominating the game, albeit facing a bit of an onslaught at times in the second half.
The win moves Sunderland up into 3rd place of the Championship table and now four points behind leaders Sheffield United. But both Leeds United and Burnley are in action on Wednesday night.
Paul Warne shares unimpressive Sunderland verdict after Derby County lose 1-0
Speaking to RamsTV after his side’s 1-0 defeat against Sunderland, Derby County boss Paul Warne was less than impressed with what he saw from the visiting side on the night, giving a rather bleak review of the Black Cats.
Warne pointed towards the league table and the fact that Sunderland are now 27 points ahead of the Rams, who currently find themselves in 20th and just one point above the drop zone.
The former Rotherham United boss said: “I thought, you’re playing against a team that are used to winning. They’re used to being in the lead, and I thought that they lost control of the game, and we were really in the ascendency. And that’s what makes me really proud.”
Warne then said of Sunderland: “That has to be our standard. I don’t believe whatever it is, Sunderland are 25 points better than us, or whatever, I might be exaggerating. But I don’t believe that. I need to get that across to the lads.”
Sunderland’s next five Championship fixtures
Whether or not Warne wants to believe Sunderland’s quality this season is irrelevant. The Black Cats are on fire right now and they have some winnable fixtures coming up, as well as a couple of crunch matches.
Sunderland host Plymouth Argyle on Saturday before travelling to Middlesbrough for a midweek clash. The Black Cats are then back at the Stadium of Light for a couple of quickfire games against Watford and Luton Town, before a Monday night clash against Leeds United on February 17th.
The games are coming thick and fast for Sunderland who’ll be hoping that they can add those finishing touches whilst the January transfer window remains open.