Jamie Carragher makes ‘huge’ Sunderland admission after what he’s seen this season
Sunderland have settled back into the Premier League seamlessly after their eight-year exodus.
The Black Cats rose to eighth in the standings after a 3-0 win against fellow promoted outfit Burnley on Monday.
An Axel Tuanzebe own goal set the tone and Habib Diarra doubled the hosts’ advantage before the break, with Chemsdine Talbi making sure of the points after the break.
It was a result that saw Regis Le Bris’ men return to winning ways after a disappointing 3-1 reverse last time out, lifting Sunderland to eighth in the table and just five points off the top four.
Jamie Carragher was discussing Sunderland’s impressive campaign on Monday Night Football, and highlighted one area that he thinks has been particularly important for the Mackems.
Jamie Carragher pinpoints key to Sunderland success
Sunderland’s 3-1 defeat against West Ham last time out meant they were looking to respond under the lights against Burnley.
This week, they had the Stadium of Light to count on, with 26 of the 36 points amassed by Regis Le Bris’ side coming on home soil.
Indeed, Sunderland extended their unbeaten home record to 12 top-flight matches this term, with visitors Burnley having won just twice on home soil.
Ex-Liverpool defender Carragher has highlighted this as one of the key aspects of Sunderland’s strong Premier League return thus far.
Carragher said: “It’s huge (Sunderland’s home form) – and Scott Parker mentioned it and referenced it in his interview
“That is key. For any newly promoted team, you’ve got to make your home games or your home stadium a fortress. Notoriously, teams in the North East, with great support, real passion up there, and that’s what they’ve managed to do. Anyone going there now knows they’re in for a really tough game.”
Impressively, only Arsenal and Manchester City have conceded fewer goals than Sunderland’s 23 in the Premier League. Carragher highlighted the importance of Sunderland being hard to beat this term.
“I think it’s something we’ve spoken about a lot on the show in terms of teams coming up. How they go about staying in the Premier League, how much football do you want to play, how direct do you want to play,” said Carragher.
“I think the promoted teams this season have been a big part of saying the Premier League has become direct, it’s almost like a throwback.
“We speak about Arsenal because they are at the top of the league – but I think the teams that have come have made it, certainly Leeds, again have made it a fortress at home, have tried to make it a lot more difficult for teams against them.”
Read more: Romaine Mundle reacts as permanent Sunderland exit made official on deadline day
Away points are the next test for Sunderland
As mentioned, 26 of the Black Cats’ 36 points have been picked up at home, with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Sunderland’s arch rivals Newcastle all dropping points on Wearside.
With this in mind, the Black Cats have scored just six of their 27 league goals on the road, while they have conceded 17 of 26.
| Games played | W | D | L | Goals for | Goals against | Goal difference | Points per game | |
| Home | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 2.17 |
| Away | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 17 | -11 | 0.83 |
| Overall | 24 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 1.50 |
Sitting eighth after the win against Burnley, Sunderland are in an unexpected race for European football, with seventh-placed Brentford only ahead on goal difference in the Premier League.
It would be harsh to expect anything from the upcoming trip to Arsenal, but an uptick in away form would put Sunderland in a fantastic position to go on and secure a European place – capitalising on just how tight the mid-table region of the Premier League is this term.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Sunderland news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account –@mackemnews247