Fireworks, flags and fighting spirit!
During those long, painful years in League One, would it be fair to say that nights like this are what we dreamed of as Sunderland fans? A packed, emotionally-charged Stadium of Light, the Sky Sports cameras
in town, and a full-blooded, full-throttle affair made for quite a combination, with the net result being a game that was as engaging and tense as it promised to be.
There were fascinating subplots everywhere you looked — the returns of David Moyes and Jordan Pickford and the immortal spirit of Bradley Lowery blessing this match chief among them — and both the Lads and the Toffees played their part in an affair that offered plenty of evidence that our forward progression continues and that the Merseysiders ought to to be on course for a solid season under Moyes.
We were poor for the first half an hour, with Everton opening the scoring thanks to a piece of quality from Iliman Ndiaye, but the second half was a flip reverse as we roared back to equalise and dominated the game thereafter — and we really should’ve taken all three points when all was said and done.
As a spectacle, perhaps not the most thrilling affair but from my perspective, it was a highly enjoyable ninety minutes and after the lows of the past decade, savouring occasions such as this is something we should never, ever be made to feel guilty about.
Everton give the Lads a real game — fair play to them!
As difficult as it might be for Sunderland fans to admit, the return of David Moyes to Wearside bore fruit for the Toffees — particularly during the first half when his men proved to be a tough nut to crack and Sunderland didn’t perform anywhere near the standards that they’ve set for themselves.
Moyes set his side up to nullify our attacking threats and it worked a treat, with Sunderland finding little joy from the flanks and our cause not helped by some disjointed midfield play and some surprisingly slack passing. Everton’s opener was Ndiaye at his marauding best, slaloming his way into the Sunderland box before curling a gem past Robin Roefs, but the first half was a classic example of how tactical flat-footedness and lethargy can hinder a team at this level.
Fortunately, we sorted things out after the break as parity was hastily restored and from then on, it was almost one-way traffic as we roared back into life and the prospect of Moyes hightailing it back to Merseyside with three points and a grin that could’ve been seen from space was avoided.
A good learning experience for Régis Le Bris and particularly for his players — we’ve still got lots to master if we want to become an established Premier League side, and no opponent can ever be taken lightly, lest we come unstuck.
Bertrand Traoré works his proverbials off for the cause
Yes, I’d like to see Chemsdine Talbi afforded more minutes on the pitch and no, Traoré isn’t the world’s flashiest winger, but Régis Le Bris — as we know very well — places a high premium on work rate in order to lay the foundations for success and I have to doff my cap to the summer signing from Ajax, because boy, did he empty the tank last night.
He’s not a quicksilver winger in the Talbi mould but what you get with Traoré is an ability to retain possession and to get us up the pitch whenever things are getting a little bit tight.
In this respect, he reminds me very much of Patrick Roberts: yes, he can frustrate you at times and his lack of end product can be glaring, but when you view his role within the side through a wider lens, it’s actually very important to the way we play.
Talbi’s time will come and I trust Le Bris to oversee his continued development, but it would be churlish to deny Traoré the credit he deserves. He’ll always give everything he has, and that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Onwards to Arsenal…hopefully without any fear!
On the face of it, the visit to Wearside of Mikel Arteta’s title-chasers is the most daunting assignment in domestic football, but I want us to embrace the challenge and to prepare for Saturday’s game with the kind of positive attitude that’s enabled us to make a highly promising start to the 2025/2026 season.
If we play as we know we can and ensure we tighten up some of the areas of slackness that almost tripped us up against Everton, who’s to say we can’t give Arsenal a real game and possibly make them fight even harder for victory than they might’ve anticipated? These are the kinds of games where newly-promoted sides can really come of age — and they’re also the kinds of affairs during which heavyweight sides can easily find themselves under the gun.
It’ll be a fascinating game to watch. I can’t wait. See you all at the Stadium of Light on Saturday evening!
