Sunderland fans may feel aggrieved that the Black Cats couldn’t beat Stoke City despite having plenty of shots on goal, but it was bound to happen.
After a run of five games unbeaten, it was bitterly disappointing for Sunderland to fall to defeat against a Stoke side who have been struggling near the bottom of the Championship table.
Even more hard to swallow is the fact Regis Le Bris’ side lost the game in the final moments of injury time, despite having a massive 22 shots on goal throughout the game.
Le Bris had reasons to be positive after the match, but the number of chances created only further condemns the fact that Sunderland deserved to lose the game in the end.
Sunderland have been outperforming their xG this season, and their luck ran out against Stoke
As per data from FBRef, Sunderland have been outperforming their xG all season. Across the campaign, the team has been expected to score 28.5 goals, but have actually scored 36 goals.
That big difference in the statistics and the actual outcomes has put Sunderland in a strong position this season, and has seen them secure some results that they, technically, may not have quite deserved.
| Statistics | Sunderland 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| xG | 28.5 |
| Actual goals | 36 |
| xG against | 23.6 |
| Actual goals against | 21 |
Such is the nature of football, of course. You can dominate a game from start to finish and then concede a scrappy last-minute goal from a corner out of the blue, or you can be completely out of it for 90 minutes before your star striker ends up scoring from 25 yards out.
Football is unpredictable, but xG is generally a pretty good indicator of how a team is performing, and usually tends to balance itself out come the end of the season.
Good fortune has a nasty habit of running out eventually, and the Sunderland squad, try as they might, simply couldn’t get the breakthrough against Stoke.
On the basis of that game alone, perhaps Sunderland did deserve a win, if only they could have converted one of their many chances, but xG has caught up with them this time.
Defeat against Stoke underlines Sunderland’s need for a new striker in January
It was a really ‘frustrating’ defeat for Sunderland, but it has made it crystal clear that the Black Cats are lacking in one crucial area: goalscoring.
Obviously, with 22 efforts on goal, actually creating chances is not an issue at all for Sunderland. But, putting the ball in the back of the net is the hardest part of football, and Le Bris simply doesn’t have the attacking talents necessary right now.
Wilson Isidor is a good striker, but he’s not clinical enough, and Sunderland fans are desperate for a new forward in January.
Sunderland should target Will Lankshear to solve that issue, if Spurs would let the youngster go. Or, perhaps Louie Barry is the answer. Either way, Le Bris needs to add to his squad, or those xG figures will balance out very quickly indeed.