Sunderland secured a solid 2-0 victory against Wolves, extending the visitors' wait for their first Premier League win this season. Wilson Isidor's early goal was disallowed for offside, but Nordi Mukiele
put Sunderland ahead after 16 minutes. He scored through Sam Johnstone's legs following a well-executed pass-and-move with Trai Hume. The Black Cats dominated and nearly doubled their lead when Dan Ballard's flick found Hume, whose header hit the post.
Wolves entered the match with high expectations after narrow losses in their previous games. However, they struggled to inspire confidence as missed opportunities continued to plague Vitor Pereira's team. Joao Gomes missed two good chances, while Jackson Tchatchoua failed to capitalise on a late opportunity, succumbing to pressure and mishitting his shot.
The Black Cats eventually secured the win in stoppage time when Chemsdine Talbi's pass was inadvertently deflected past Johnstone by Ladislav Krejci. This result propelled Sunderland to seventh place, level on points with Chelsea and Tottenham. Meanwhile, Wolves remain at the bottom of the table without a win.
ANOTHER MASSIVE WIN #SUNWOL pic.twitter.com/eUtJloo2mOSunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) October 18, 2025
Wolves have now failed to secure a victory in their first eight Premier League matches for the second consecutive season. They are only the second team to do so in back-to-back campaigns, following Sunderland in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Despite similar quality chances from both teams on Saturday, Wolves' lack of composure in front of goal proved costly once again.
Sunderland has collected 14 points from their first eight Premier League games this season. This is their best start since the 1999-00 season when they also had 14 points. It is also the highest tally by a promoted club since Wolves achieved 15 points in 2018-19.
Both teams created opportunities of comparable quality during the match. Sunderland managed an expected goals (xG) value of 0.75 from eight shots, while Wolves generated an xG of 0.78 from their 16 attempts.
