Sunderland managed to secure a narrow win over Portsmouth on Sunday afternoon, and Jose Mousinho has pinpointed the one player that made the difference.
It is now two wins from two for Sunderland in 2025, and the Black Cats have closed the gap at the top of the Championship table to just three points.
Regis Le Bris led his side to a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light to continue Sunderland’s unbeaten home run this season.
Playing Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda together up front was a tactical gamble for Le Bris, but it paid off massively, and the former has attracted special praise after the game.
John Mousinho rates Wilson Isidor as one of the best in the league
Speaking after the game, Mousinho discussed the decisive goal from Isidor, and claimed the Sunderland man is right up there as one of the best in his position in the Championship.
“We’ve made a sloppy mistake from our throw-in and [Wilson] Isidor is one of the best centre-forwards in the division,” Mousinho said. “He’s caught us out with good movement, it’s a good ball as well, and he puts it in the back of the net.”
The Sunderland manager agreed with that sentiment, too, with Le Bris saying, “It’s good because I don’t think it was expected he’d be at this level. He’s very talented, but he’s also shown he’s a hard worker and a great team-mate.
“We spoke often about the confidence of our strikers. It’s still like that. If you can keep a high level, it’s better.”
Wilson Isidor can fire Sunderland to promotion this season
Before the festive period, Isidor had failed to score in seven games and Sunderland fans wanted a new striker to be signed in the January window.
Now, Isidor has three goals in four games and looks like he has what it takes to fire the Black Cats to glory this season.
| Statistics | Wilson Isidor 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 23 |
| Goals | 8 |
| xG | 6.7 |
| Shots on target | 44.2% |
| Shot-creating actions per 90 | 1.71 |
Sunderland fans demanded Isidor sign permanently after the win over Portsmouth, and at this rate, one would imagine the club is absolutely desperate to make that happen.
Still, if Sunderland are to achieve their unlikely dream of getting promoted this year, they will probably still need to sign another forward who can support Isidor and provide cover for the ‘dangerous’ Frenchman. He’s good, but he can’t do it all on his own.