Sunderland leads the Championship table after ten games, thanks to a 1-0 victory at Hull City on Sunday. Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder admits he is not sure that any team will finish ahead of Leeds United this season, following the Blades’ 2-0 defeat at Elland Road on Friday night, despite Sunderland being leading the league.
Two weeks after Sunderland’s 2-2 draw with the Whites at the Stadium of Light, Daniel Farke’s team faced Sheffield United in West Yorkshire, with second-half goals from Pascal Struijk and Mateo Joseph bringing Leeds level on points with Sunderland. Regis Le Bris’ side also watched as Burnley beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 on Saturday to take the league lead. However, the Black Cats replied to those victories with a 1-0 win over Hull City, thanks to Wilson Isidor’s mazy run and finish at the MKM Stadium.
Ahead of the midweek games, Sunderland lead with 22 points, with the Clarets one point back in second. Leeds and Sheffield United both have 19 points, while West Brom and Blackburn Rovers have 18 points each. Despite the Black Cats’ excellent start, Wilder anticipated that Leeds would be at the top of the table by the conclusion of the season.
After the Blades’ 2-0 loss, he stated, “There will be teams that have good and bad times, but I think anyone who finishes above Leeds…and I’m not sure anyone will do.” I have no complaints about the end result. They have fantastic players, and the squad is loaded with quality players, so we need to dust ourselves down and try again. It’s been a good start, but we haven’t faced anyone of this quality.”
Regis Le Bris is impressed with Sunderland spirit. Sunderland may have spent the weekend outside the automatic promotion places, but Le Bris was pleased with how his team handled a difficult away trip to Hull. He reflected: “We are pleased to have won away because it was not easy. I’m thrilled for our supporters and players since they fought hard to get this result. It wasn’t easy because we had to cope with two separate issues. The first was characterized by a high level of ball control. We spent a lot of time in their final third, but it was tough to produce chances, and we had to deal with their counterattacks during the first half.
“We didn’t actually fix it, but the second half was completely different. They had one chance to score but did not take it, and we felt we had the opportunity to counterattack because that is one of our major strengths. We handled the game quite effectively. They put a lot of pressure on us, but we stood firm. It wasn’t easy dealing with such pressure, but we felt, perhaps for the first time this season, like we could win the game. It wasn’t easy, but we did well, especially because it was away. “I am very pleased with the players.”
Sunderland’s next game is away to Luton Town. The Hatters defeated Watford 3-0 over the weekend, gaining momentum after a poor start, but they enter the encounter with some injury concerns. Sheffield United travels to Middlesbrough, while Burnley faces Hull City. Leeds will host Watford on Tuesday night.
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