Football League World
·24 October 2024
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·24 October 2024
Chris Rigg heaped praise on Sunderland teammate Romaine Mundle after his winner at Luton Town.
Sunderland moved back to the top of the Championship with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Wednesday night.
The Hatters may have endured a mixed start to the season, but they always offer a challenge on their own patch, so Sunderland knew they would have to battle for three points.
And, that’s exactly what they did, with Chris Rigg scoring the opener, before Elijah Adebayo brought the hosts level.
However, a piece of brilliance from Romaine Mundle secured the win for Regis Le Bris’ men, with the winger cutting in from the left flank and firing expertly past Thomas Kaminski.
Taking to Instagram after the game, Mundle shared an image of his celebration, as he ran to the away end with his arms outstretched.
That brought plenty of responses from both teammates and supporters, with Rigg simply putting ‘wow’ as he reflected on the outstanding individual effort.
The goal continues what has been an excellent season so far for the 21-year-old, who has been tasked with replacing Jack Clarke for the Black Cats.
Le Bris has shown a lot of faith in Mundle by making him a key part of the XI, and his winning goal against Luton was his fourth of the campaign in just 11 games, so he is certainly repaying that trust.
It’s not just the goals either, with the former Spurs youngster proving to be a massive threat with his pace and dribbling ability, which is crucial to the way Sunderland play.
It’s still very early days, but that felt like a significant win for Sunderland, as they had to show qualities that you perhaps don’t always associate with this young team.
They were under pressure throughout from Luton’s direct style, but the defence dealt with the long balls that came their way on the whole. As well as that, the young lads scrapped and fought for everything in the middle, with Rigg and Mundle showing their class when it mattered.
So, Le Bris and the fans will be delighted that they have proven they can win ugly, as it’s something you need to do if you want to be successful at this level, and Sunderland are showing they can do just that.
Again, we must reiterate that it's only 11 games into the season, but there is momentum building around the club, and there will be a growing belief that the Wearside outfit can seal a return to the Premier League this season if they keep to their current standards.
There is a real togetherness in the group, and the club finally look to have the right balance between youth and experience, with the likes of Luke O’Nien, Chris Mepham and Alan Browne bringing that know-how that may have previously been lacking.
Meanwhile, going forward, Sunderland have matchwinners, with Rigg, Mundle and Jobe Bellingham just some of the players who have shown they can make the difference in games.
Sunderland are back in action this weekend when they welcome Oxford United to the Stadium of Light.