Danny Murphy hails ‘terrific’ Sunderland star vs Bournemouth, but blasts ‘stupid’ incident after MOTD footage
Danny Murphy was blown away by Enzo Le Fee’s game-changing performance in Sunderland’s 3-2 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.
At a sodden Stadium of Light, Sunderland came from two goals behind to beat Bournemouth, moving themselves to fourth in the Premier League table.
It was the first time in Premier League history that the Black Cats had overturned a two-goal deficit to win all three points, with Regis Le Bris‘ side going from strength to strength in front of the home crowd on Wearside, where they remain undefeated.
Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus was delighted with the win, as was former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder Murphy.
Danny Murphy loved Enzo Le Fee’s performance
One of the main reasons why Murphy was thrilled to cover Sunderland‘s win on Saturday was that he got to watch a Le Fee masterclass.
The 25-year-old French midfielder scored his second goal of the season from the penalty spot to set the Mackems on course for victory, before assisting Brian Brobbey‘s late winner with an inch-perfect corner.
| Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | GD | Points |
| 1. Man City | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | +13 | 18 |
| 2. Arsenal | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | +14 | 16 |
| 3. Brentford | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | +7 | 16 |
| 4. Sunderland | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | +7 | 15 |
| 5. Bournemouth | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | +6 | 14 |
“I got lucky because Joe [Hart] had first choice, so I got this game, but I was so pleased,” said Murphy on Match of the Day. “It was incredible.
“Two great teams playing with energy, freedom, they went toe-to-toe.
“Sunderland deserve credit for that because they went to a back-four to get more men forward on the pitch.
“But one player in particular, Le Fee for Sunderland, was the main instigator in the comeback. He was terrific.”
- Read more: Sunderland’s new Jordan Pickford is already on Regis Le Bris’ radar as ‘rival clubs’ eye up transfer
Reinildo in middle of controversial decision at Stadium of Light
As much as Murphy was impressed by Sunderland’s performance to come back and win all three points against Bournemouth, he did take issue with the way they started their resurgence in the 30th minute.
Alex Scott brought Reinildo down in the penalty area when the Cherries were 2-0 up.
Keith Hackett called Scott’s tackle on Reinildo a “careless challenge” and agreed with Tim Robinson‘s decision to award a penalty kick.
Murphy, however, wasn’t so sure – but he was impressed by the way Le Fee converted the resulting spot kick.
“This is a contentious penalty,” Murphy added.
“Reinildo gets fouled, we think, initially. But when you watch it again, it’s soft. He puts his leg across.
“Scott is a bit stupid to dive in, but he shouldn’t really give the referee a decision to make. But Reinildo’s looking for it and they decide to give it, and once they give it, VAR wasn’t going to change it.
“And then Le Fee hits a beautiful penalty under pressure to give them the impetus and get the fans behind them.”
Next up for Sunderland is a trip to Anfield to play struggling Premier League champions Liverpool on Wednesday night.
They then follow that up with a tricky away day at Manchester City next Saturday, before welcoming bitter rivals Newcastle to the Stadium of Light on 14 December.
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