Sunderland 2-1 Brentford: Black Cats bounce back after late drama | OneFootball

Wilson Isidor’s late header gave Sunderland back-to-back home wins to start a Premier League season for the first time since 2001.

Regis Le Bris’ side climbed to sixth after a dramatic victory over struggling Brentford. Last season’s hero Enzo Le Fée pulled Sunderland level before Isidor struck at the death, overturning Thiago’s 77th-minute header for the Bees.

As it happened

After a tightly contested first half, the main talking point came when Brentford’s record signing, Dango Ouattara, saw a breakaway goal ruled out by VAR for offside. There was little controversy in the decision, and Sunderland’s best chance before the break came when new signing Nordi Mukiele blazed a shot over the bar.

The game came alive after the restart. Brentford striker Kevin Schade had his penalty saved by Robin Roefs after Reinildo Mandava brought down Nathan Collins in the Sunderland box.

It seemed like that miss might not matter when Keith Andrews’ side took the lead moments later, as new talisman Thiago powered a header off the crossbar and in.

But penalties remained the story of the day. In the 82nd minute, Sunderland had their turn when Habib Diarra was fouled, and Le Fée calmly converted from the spot to level the score.

True to their reputation for late drama, Sunderland struck again in stoppage time. Isidor capped off a remarkable personal week by heading in a Granit Xhaka cross to secure all three points.

For Brentford, there were positives to take, but letting a lead slip so late will sting as they remain on three points from their opening three matches.

Le Bris’s side, though, the picture looks far brighter. This win, combined with Leeds’ draw against Newcastle, means the newly promoted clubs have collected the most combined points after three games since 2016/17.

Sunderland’s strikers have led the charge: Isidor now has two goals in three games, while Eliezer Mayenda is already off the mark. Le Fée’s penalty sparked the turnaround, and Le Bris’ decision to introduce Isidor and Marc Guiu late on gave Sunderland the edge to finish the job.

The Black Cats head into the international break in sixth place, in dreamland after winning two of their first three Premier League matches.

Early strong home performances have given them a valuable boost in their bid to stay up this season. New signings like Xhaka, Habib Diarra and Koni De Winter have settled quickly, while the Championship core of Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard, Le Fée and Isidor continues to deliver.

Together, they have put Regis Le Bris’ side in a strong position to build momentum heading into what promises to be a challenging campaign.

Line-ups

SUN: Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, Alderete, Reinildo; Xhaka, Diarra, Sadiki; Le Fee, Talbi, Mayenda

BRE: Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Van Den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Henderson, Yarmoliuk; Outtara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago