Phil Smith: Key takeaways from Sunderland’s 2-1 defeat at Ipswich Town | OneFootball

Sunderland opened their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 defeat at Ipswich Town, reinforcing Régis Le Bris’s focus on the league and the push to reach 40 points quickly.

Sunderland Echo notes a bruising opener in which the visitors initially did plenty right. Brian Brobbey’s early break eased the noise before a loose moment handed Ipswich the lead, with Julio Enciso’s surge at its heart.

Nilson Angulo’s excellent free-kick levelled before the interval. After the restart Sunderland controlled possession but created little, and another slack pass from the back preceded Jack Clarke’s winner.

Ipswich were organised without the ball, combative in midfield and lively on transitions with mobile forwards. Enciso, Emersonn and Abdul Fatawu are not yet fully fit and were withdrawn between the hour and the 75-minute mark.

The hosts crowded Le Fée and Xhaka centrally then broke quickly. Sunderland must be ready for such plans now they command respect, and hopefully sharpness is the issue.

There were positives. Noah Sadiki was outstanding in the first half, his running winning the free-kick and he went close with a header from Trai Hume’s cross. Thomas Meunier, after only 45 minutes in pre-season, delivered a solid, sensible display.

Nordi Mukiele’s pace and intensity were a big miss. Le Bris is right to be cautious but must find him a place quickly. There is no need for alarm, yet improvement is required with Fulham visiting next Sunday before a testing September.

Source: Sunderland Echo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”