Strong Sunderland pressing sets the tone
From the first five minutes, it was clear to see that Brighton were well drilled, with a quick pace and high-pressure pressing game. However, Sunderland responded well, passing around in intelligent triangles and allowing the home side very little time on the ball.
One thing that’s been impressive this season is how quickly we can get back into a solid shape when without the ball — and this game was another clear example as Brighton seemed to struggle with the pressure, resulting in early fouls and a yellow
card.
Part of the inept and intolerable commentary that most of us had to endure referred to Brighton’s preference to have plenty of time in midfield when on the ball; however, we stifled them, particularly in the first half and limiting Brighton to tame efforts on goal.
A common theme this season has been the team’s ability to disrupt the flow of the opposition, making things as uncomfortable as possible. This was no exception.
Simon Adingra’s time to shine?
The upcoming run of games represents a great chance for Adingra.
Against Manchester United, he didn’t offer much defensive support for his teammates and found himself taken off early for Dan Ballard as we adjusted our system. This time, though, he allowed his counterparts very little time on the ball and was clearly an outlet for our attacks, finding himself with plenty of space to run into in the first half.
There were some signs of ring rust, with one or two heavy touches, but you couldn’t fault his effort and he’ll definitely be one of our most important players in the coming weeks whilst we wait for Chemsdine Talbi and Bertrand Traoré to return.
Another Enzo Le Fée masterclass
It’s ridiculous to think that we had Le Fee playing for us when we were in the Championship.
I can only compare it to playing Grand Theft Auto III when I was ten — accessing cheat codes and watching my criminal pixel run around with full health, armour and weapons at all times.
He’s adapted perfectly to the pace, style and challenge of the Premier League. You can see that opposition defenders are terrified whenever Le Fee gets on the ball and he is — by some distance — our most creative player on the pitch.
We all know the tiresome anecdote that commentators roll out once a year: that Kaoru Mitoma went to university and produced his thesis on dribbling. However, he was to complete his studies in 2025/2026, I can only assume that he would dedicate 90% of his word count towards Le Fée.
A dogged draw — but perhaps a lack of creativity?
Brighton are a team who perform particularly well in the second half of games, and as we reached the final fifteen minutes, it seemed that our attacking presence faded and we found ourselves a little under the cosh.
It’s important to remember that we were the away side and that games away in this league are particularly challenging. Not only that, but we’re blessed with a much more physical team that what we are perhaps used to seeing — one that isn’t phased when under pressure from the opposition.
That said, it doesn’t make it any less stressful to watch from a fan’s perspective.
Brian Brobbey is a strong, physical outlet and provides the team with a chance to push on and get forward when under pressure. This isn’t something that Wilson Isidor can necessarily offer; relying instead on pace and more of an intuitive approach to forward play. Perhaps this is an area that we’ll look to invest in further come January.
Thank you to Tommy Watson!
Finally, it was brilliant to see Watson get the reception he deserved, having provided us with such a fantastic moment in the playoff final.
In a parallel universe, we would be watching Patrick Bamford and Tom Cannon play up front in red and white. Words can’t even express how grateful I am to Watson (among many others, of course) for the situation that we now find ourselves in.
Simply put, he’s a Sunderland hero and I’ll be following his Brighton career with keen interest.
