Regis Le Bris reacts to first Sunderland win in seven games
Regis Le Bris believes Sunderland “deserved” their win against Stoke City on Saturday, with Tommy Watson notching twice in a 2-1 victory.
The Black Cats moved back into promotion contention with a 2-1 victory over the Potters on 7 December as highly rated Watson proved to be the difference.
A first-half strike gave the Mackems a route back into the game, while his well-struck 86th-minute effort secured all three points with Le Bris saying in his post-match interview, as shared by the club’s X account [8 December] that his side were good value for the points.
“It was a tough game because I think Stoke played well with good quality in possession and it was difficult to find the right balance when we had to press,” the Frenchman said.
“They were able to attract our midfielders and to play short diagonal passes and we struggled a little bit in that part of the game but we created many chances today and we didn’t give up because it could have been the case with so many chances and because we had these more or less scenarios before against Millwall, against West Brom, against Sheffield United.
“So it was the fourth game with the same mood, you can say like that. But until the end, finally, we kept going and it’s a good award because I think we deserved to win today and they were happy but we are going to play another game very quickly so it’s time to recover, enjoy a little bit and recover for the next fixture.”
Sunderland must use Stoke victory as a platform for winning run
Having gone on a six-game winless run, questions were starting to emerge as to whether the Black Cats were well equipped to fight for an automatic promotion place.
The win against the Potters perhaps signals the right change but only if the Wearsiders are able to showcase that result consistently and pick up points where their performance deserves it.
Having occupied the top of the Championship for a large part of the season, the ability in the squad isn’t in question although the consistency is and that is to be expected given the youthfulness of the side.
Simply put, Sunderland must use momentum from this win to their advantage as the Christmas period can often make or break a season.
Sunderland sit just two points from the top although Sheffield United could increase that gap if they void defeat on Sunday (8 December) and it is vital that they remain in touch heading into the January transfer window.
In other Sunderland news, Don Goodman revealed which player he thinks is key to the Black Cats.
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