David Moyes drops ‘huge’ Sunderland claim live on air after win v Coventry
Sunderland reached the Championship play-off final in dramatic fashion as Dan Ballard headed in a late winner against Coventry City.
His header sent the home support into raptures in what was one of the most chaotic moments in play-off history, securing a 3-2 aggregate win.
Reaction to the gripping encounter has been flooding in, with players, managers, and pundits all commenting on the game.
Ex-Black Cats boss David Moyes is the latest person to chime in on the 1-1 draw, offering his thoughts on his former side.
Moyes comments on Sunderland’s play-off victory
Everton’s manager endured a torrid time during his reign in the North East, which lasted just less than a year.
The Scot was given the unenviable chance of succeeding Sam Allardyce, who successfully guided the Wearside club to safety the season before.
Sunderland were relegated from the Premier League under Moyes in 2017 and have been absent from the top flight ever since.
The 62-year-old won just eight of his 43 games in charge of the Black Cats and finished with a points-per-match ratio of 0.72.
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | PPM (points-per-match) |
| 43 | 8 | 7 | 28 | 0.72 |
The former Manchester United manager regained his reputation with a successful spell at West Ham.
While speaking on talkSPORT (14 May, 08.41 am), Moyes shared his thoughts on Sunderland’s dramatic play-off win and reflected on his time in charge.
He said: “I’m thrilled for Sunderland because you know, you’ll know as well as anybody, Coisty, it’s a great football club.
“I got them at a bad time in their history, and I’m so thrilled that they’re beginning to work their way back towards the top again.
“They’ve got a great support, huge stadium, but they’ve got a big game on against Sheffield United, who no doubt go into the final as favourites – let’s see what happens.”
Sunderland will relish underdog tag ahead of final
Sunderland did incredibly well to turn around such awful form before the play-offs to defeat Frank Lampard’s side 3-2 on aggregate.
Even after such a historic win, they will undoubtedly go into the Sheffield United game as underdogs, seeing as they finished 14 points behind them.
The Blades will carry a different threat but possess quality with the likes of Gustavo Hamer, Callum O’Hare, and Harrison Burrows.
However, Chris Wilder’s side will have all the pressure on them and have never reached the Premier League via the play-offs before.
Regis Le Bris’ side must channel this and reference their own play-off victory in League One to get them over the final hurdle.