New Faces But Familiar Heroes On 'proud Day' For Sunderland

The 2025-26 Premier League play is hardly a crippled aged but, for Sunderland fans, nan embryonic array merits much than conscionable a cursory glance.

Tipped by galore to make a swift return to nan Championship, Regis Le Bris' squad confounded nan pre-season doom-mongers pinch a magnificent show against West Ham to commencement their first top-flight run since 2016-17 successful style.

After keeping Graham Potter's broadside astatine bay successful nan first half, nan Black Cats recovered their claws successful nan 2nd arsenic headers from Eliezer Mayenda and Dan Ballard gave them a comfortable two-goal cushion earlier Wilson Isidor put nan icing connected a flawless second-half show successful added time.

The last whistle sparked jubilant celebrations among nan location supporters, who had gone astir 13 years without seeing their squad triumph a lucifer successful nan opening 2 months of a top-flight season, since a 1-0 triumph complete Wigan Athletic successful September 2012.

You person to spell moreover further backmost for Sunderland's past Premier League triumph successful nan period of August - a 1-0 triumph complete Manchester City successful 2010.

"I'm delighted," Ballard told BBC Sport afterwards. "What a awesome commencement to life backmost successful nan Premier League. It could not person gone immoderate amended today.

"I'm delighted for nan fans, because they've had immoderate reliable times before. It's really bully erstwhile you tin springiness backmost to them."

Former England world - and Sunderland instrumentality - Steph Houghton told Final Score: "This triumph intends perfectly everything to nan metropolis and everybody associated pinch nan club, particularly erstwhile you see nan travel that we person been on.

"We went down to League One. It's good documented that nan nine astir apt deed stone bottom, but now we're yet backmost successful nan Premier League. It's a very proud time for everybody connected to nan club."

After 8 years successful nan wilderness of nan Championship and League One, Sunderland person spent large successful an effort to support their heads supra h2o this season.

They person splurged astir £132m connected caller signings - Nottingham Forest clasp nan grounds for nan biggest outlay by a squad promoted to nan Premier League, pinch nan approximate £142m they spent bringing successful 21 players successful nan summertime of 2022.

Nordi Mukiele's impending presence is group to summation nan number of caller faces connected Wearside to 12.

The defender was rumoured to beryllium astatine Saturday's crippled earlier a reported £9.5m move from Paris St-Germain. If he was among nan crowd, nan erstwhile Leverkusen and Leipzig subordinate will person enjoyed what he saw.

Against West Ham, nan tenacity and composure of seasoned Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka allowed his team-mates to flourish, pinch erstwhile Strasbourg skipper Habib Diarra's accomplishment and adjacent power successful nan last 3rd causing nan Hammers each sorts of problems.

Noah Sadiki, different summertime presence from Belgium, completes a potent midfield trio which - connected this grounds - looks much than tin of keeping nan Black Cats afloat.

Goalkeeper Robin Roefs besides enjoyed an outstanding debut, making a good extremity from Jarrod Bowen successful nan first half earlier preserving his cleanable expanse precocious connected by tipping Isidor's attempted clearance complete nan crossbar.

And yet, for each nan talk of caller arrivals, it was 3 of Sunderland's Championship play-off heroes who grabbed nan headlines.

Mayenda netted Sunderland's opener in nan Championship play-off last successful May, while Ballard - who denied West Ham's El Hadji Malick Diouf successful nan first half pinch a superb last-ditch clearance - rescued nan Black Cats from semi-final heartache against Coventry.

Isidor - a second-half substitute connected Saturday - was besides connected target against nan Sky Blues, opening nan scoring earlier a precocious Mayenda onslaught sealed a 2-1 win.

"The players they person got, and nan players they person signed, makes maine deliberation Sunderland will enactment up," said erstwhile Black Cats midfielder Don Hutchinson connected Premier League Kick-Off. "I deliberation Xhaka is going to beryllium a existent leader."

Former Sunderland defender Gary Bennett told BBC Radio Newcastle: "We person to retrieve nan elephantine strides we person made.

"The large mobility was, aft signing each those players: would they gel together arsenic a team? Today they answered that question."

Last season, we had to hold until 5 October for immoderate of nan 3 promoted clubs - Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton - to get their first victory.

Recent history suggests a accelerated commencement is important for promoted top-flight sides. In nan past 10 seasons, each 12 promoted clubs who person accrued 11 points aliases much successful their opening 10 games person avoided relegation.

By contrast, only 2 of nan 18 teams pinch 10 aliases less points aft nan aforesaid number of matches person stayed up.

Burnley were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Thomas Frank's Tottenham connected Saturday afternoon, while Leeds - who invited Everton to Elland Road connected Monday - person their activity trim retired to lucifer Sunderland's memorable opening-day triumph.

With games coming up against nan recently promoted Clarets, and a Brentford broadside successful modulation pursuing Frank's departure, Le Bris and his players will fancy their chances of building connected their phenomenal start.

"We've sewage to look to spell to Burnley and effort and triumph nan game," said Houghton. "We'll decidedly beryllium going into nan lucifer afloat of confidence.

"Le Bris has built a young squad pinch tons of pace, particularly successful guardant areas. When you create those chances you person to return them and that's precisely what they did.

"The Sunderland fans ever make plentifulness of sound and hopefully they tin make Turf Moor consciousness for illustration nan Stadium of Light adjacent weekend."