Sunderland

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Bad result. Ups and downs, I think is the summary of this game and the season so far. We can play good football, and create some good chances, but we also made many unforced errors. At this level, especially in the Premier League the opponent can seize ever single opportunity, and [Coventry] did that. It's not a question of luck, it's a question of us. We are too inconsistent at the minute to be efficient in this league.

On the frustration of making errors that lead to goals: "Yeah, it is, because it's not the first time. So, it's hard to handle, hard to address because it's always different. Sometimes it's this player, then it's that player. First minute, last minute. So, it's the consequence of something for sure, because we are growing quickly as a club, but the demands are still so important, especially in this league, but we are not at the level at this minute."

On if the mistakes are because of lack of confidence: "Yeah, sometimes the case. We are not at our best, it's obvious. It's dynamic, sometimes you are good and sometimes you are not. This inconsistency is crucial because in this League the level is so high and demanding you have to do consistent, and it's not the case at the minute."

On if they can still take something from the result: "Absolutely. This team and this club [have fight]. Is it a surprise to struggle in the Premier League? I would say no. Are we comfortable in this situation? Absolutely no. Are we combative? Yes. So, we will do it."

On if he is concerned about his job: "In my mind I work for Sunderland for 10 years, so I'm here to give everything. I work hard, I will connect with people. with the players to find solutions."

Hear more from Le Bris on BBC Sounds here

Did you know?

• Sunderland remain winless across their last seven games in the Premier League (drawn two, lost five), with their five points this season being their lowest nine games into a campaign since 2016-17, when they were relegated from the top tier (two points).

Chris McKenna
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Last season, Sunderland were renowned for being a well-drilled and organised side, with only Arsenal, Manchester City and Brighton conceding fewer goals.

But Regis Le Bris' side have now let in 17 goals in just nine games in this campaign.

That helps explain why they have won just a single league game so far - against Fulham on 30 August.

They definitely miss Dan Ballard in their back line, with the defender out since late September due to a hamstring injury.

But they continually make errors, as proven here with Coventry's first two goals - and centre-back Omar Alderete will now be suspended for next week's clash with Chelsea.

They did at least show some more attacking threat here with 17 attempts on goal and more possession that their opponents, but it was not nearly enough.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Coventry's performance

What did you make of Sunderland's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are eight games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Chelsea v Manchester United (12:30)

• Bournemouth v Leeds United

• Brentford v Nottingham Forest

• Coventry City v Sunderland - first half on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, second half on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Hull City v Ipswich Town

• Manchester City v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Tottenham v Crystal Palace (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Aston Villa v Fulham (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

How to follow the Premier League weekend across the BBC

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Man City v Brighton" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Coventry match", for example.

New this season: Live match updates

Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

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Bottom two sides Coventry and Sunderland meet on Saturday (15:00 GMT) both looking to climb away from the danger zone.

Coventry scored 97 goals in last season's Championship, which was at least 15 more than any other team, but they've struggled for goals since coming up to the top flight.

They have scored a joint-division-low six goals and have failed to score in five of their eight Premier League games so far this season, more than any other team. Four of those six goals came in one match (their 4-1 win over Newcastle)

The Sky Blues also have the lowest xG (7.65) and the lowest open play xG so far in this campaign (4.78), with just 25 shots on target, the second-worst in the division after Aston Villa.

Their xG in last weekend's draw at home to fellow strugglers Fulham was 0.51, which was their lowest since their opening game of the season, which was away at champions Arsenal.

Coventry are the only team in the Premier League this season to neither win any points from losing positions nor drop any points when leading – in their eight matches, the team scoring first has won every time.

That's further bad news for Sky Blues fans, whose team have failed to score in the first half in seven of their eight league games this season.

Like Coventry, Sunderland have scored a joint-division low of six goals in this season's Premier League.

At the same stage in 2025-26, the Black Cats had only scored three more times, but the crucial difference is that they had 14 points, as opposed to the five they have earned in 2026-27. It's the biggest drop-off after eight games of any Premier League team.

Head coach Regis Le Bris has talked of "embracing" Sunderland's busy schedule of playing in Europe and in the Carabao Cup but their Premier League form does appear to be paying the price.

The Black Cats earned four points in their first three league games of the season, all of which preceded the start of their EFL Cup and Europa League campaigns. Since those began, they have picked up just one point, losing four out of five games.

Conversely, they have won four out of their five games in the cup competitions, reaching the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday with their 3-2 victory over Brentford. That means they will have another midweek fixture to add to what looks like being a busy pre-Christmas period for Le Bris's side.

This is big for both teams. It's the battle of the bottom two... and I think Sunderland will win it.

Coventry do not lack any effort and they have got plenty of pace on the counter-attack, but their problem is that they just don't have the quality of most other Premier League teams.

Sunderland got a good win over Brentford in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night and I am surprised they have been struggling so badly in the league.

The Black Cats are a well-coached team and while I think European football is affecting them in many ways, Brian Brobbey's return from injury is a big positive, and he should help them nick this.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland fan Eleanor McCabe says the 13-minute spell in which the Black Cats scored three goals in Wednesday's 3-2 Carabao Cup win over Brentford was "what we have been missing".

Regis Le Bris's side put aside their Premier League struggles to book a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, with 21-year-old Ivory Coast winger Jocelin Ta Bi the star of the show after playing a key role in all three goals.

"After Leeds I wasn't angry, or worried, I was just really frustrated," McCabe told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"It was another game where we were really competitive and difficult to beat but it was another game where I was sat there thinking, 'please can someone just put the ball in the back of the net'.

"We get into good positions and then just become incredibly polite. Then, Brentford happens and we score three goals in 13 minutes which is more than we have scored in the past two weeks combined. Apparently cup Sunderland and league Sunderland are two completely different teams.

"At some point the two of them really need to start talking to each other because that spell against Brentford is really what we have been missing. A bit of freedom, a bit of chaos, players running at defenders and making things happen.

"Speaking of which, Jocelin Ta Bi - you are incredible. Every single time he got the ball there was a feeling something might happen. He was direct, confident, fearless, and genuinely fun to watch.

"He proved sometimes football sometimes doesn't need to be more complicated than giving the ball to someone exciting and letting them make a defender's night miserable. After a peformance like that you surely have to be thinking how you get him more minutes."

Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds here

Melissa Edwards
BBC Sport journalist

Sunderland boss Regis le Bris has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Coventry City at CBS Arena (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Wilson Isidor "should" be back in contention after missing five matches with a knock. Le Bris confirmed all of his players are "more or less available" excluding defender Dan Ballard and winger Romaine Mundle, who haven't been cleared to travel.

• Dutch striker Brian Brobbey returned to the fold against Leeds United last weekend as he recovered from a hamstring injury. Le Bris said: "Brian is really important for the team. He's getting better, so hopefully he can progress."

• Sunderland have drawn Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after knocking out Brentford on Wednesday. Le Bris said the draw is a "good opportunity" for his side to go further in the competition but that it is "always a tough game" at Selhurst Park.

• The French head coach made 11 changes to his side that beat the Bees as he continues to manage Sunderland's European campaign on top of domestic competitions. On achieving that balance, he said: "You won't hear me complaining about this new journey, the busy schedule, because this is exactly where we want to be; with the opportunity to play regularly in Europe, competing in the Premier League, the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup later. It's demanding and creates the condition to get better, to evolve and to be more creative."

• On facing Coventry, he said: "There's always a new story and a new chapter to write. This game will be an exciting one with our intention to be us, show up with our identity, our pillars, our foundations and after that the game will be the game."

• He added: "They've won two games in the Premier League so it means they are competitive. It's a new chapter for them as well and you have to manage the two different stories of being dominant in the last two years of the Championship and now you don't have the same level of opposition so it's a new balance. They are still efficient."

Listen to Regis le Bris' pre-match interview with BBC Radio Newcastle above or listen on BBC Sounds

Listen to live commentary of Coventry v Sunderland on Saturday on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 (first half) and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (second half).

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

Former Black Cats captain Gary Bennett shared his full-time analysis with BBC Radio Newcastle's Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes after Regis le Bris' side sealed their spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a 3-2 win over in-form Brentford.

"Le Bris got it spot on but you also have to give credit to Brentford," Bennett said. "They will look back on that game wondering if they could've forced a draw or even won it because they did have some opportunities.

"It was definitely an improvement in defence for Sunderland. It was a learning curve for the majority of the players and there were some excellent performances.

"Malick Fofana will grow in confidence after getting his first goal with that header. Jocelin Ta Bi was the player who stood out most. He was outstanding in everything he did, especially going forward. He was involved in all three goals and he will only get better. It is a performance that will do him the world of good.

"It goes to show how much strength in depth and quality we have. They all did well, but are any of them pushing for Sunday's starting XI against Coventry City? I wouldn't think so.

"The only player pushing a starting place is Habib Diarra. He played 45 minutes, which will do him the world of good, and he is looking fit.

"Dayann Methalie also did well out there at left-back. He is strong, quick and aggressive. He is another young player who will develop with time.

"They did themselves no harm at all with that performance."

Listen to the full analysis on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie between Sunderland and Brentford.

Here are some of your comments:

Sunderland fans

Ian: 11 changes proves how far this team have come in the past two seasons. I liked the look of the team before kick-off and boy did those young guys run for the club. Ta Bi and Talbi gave the team an out when under pressure and must be in serious contention for the rest of the season. Well done.

Tony: With 11 changes from Sunday and against another Premier League side, we did extremely well, especially in the first half. Not surprisingly a bit weary as the game went on, but a result the players can be proud of.

David: Lots of positives for the club on the night. Most of the stand-ins did themselves no harm at all, but Ahoka and Ta Bi caught the eye. It was good to see some pace and trickery going forward and Regis le Bris will have learned a lot and been given a lot of food for thought. Great to see the ownership on the pitch at the end.

Harry: Where have you been Mr Ta Bi? What a performance. Should be starting playing like that. All-round decent performance from the team and nice to see Fofana get his first goal. Brentford had a lot of quality on show so I'm very happy.

Brentford fans

Nicholas: A long way to travel for a very poor performance. Problem is most people look at the league table and think everything is OK. Massive game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. This was a massive missed opportunity.

Stephen: Yet another poor performance in the cup. We never seem to be able to play as a team on these occasions - too many poor individual performances. Sad to say but we did not deserve to win. I hope we can learn from this performance and push on.

Paul: Another very poor display and beaten by a Sunderland reserve side. Please don't tell me we were up for that game because it was embarrassing and something doesn't seem quite right with Bees at the moment - their attitude stinks.

Rob: I've said it once and I'll say it again, we play our best football in a 4-3-3. When is Keith Andrews going to realise this? It's clear that the double pivot in midfield does not work as the full-backs push forward too much and the wide players do not tuck in and run back to support. Get a grip, man, or get a new job before we end up in the bottom three.

Sunderland boss Regis le Bris spoke to BBC Radio Newcastle after his side booked their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals: "It is really positive. We are on a demanding journey, which is a new challenge for the club and the players, but I think the energy is getting better. We know that we have good players but this journey is really challenging, so they have to embrace that and they showed they are ready to do that.

"It is important to remember that we have a young team with young players. We have to explain different situations to them which are often tough to learn and to get better, but they are talented.

"I think we stayed calm, even after their last goal at the end of the game. We showed consistency, calmness and confidence which I think is important."

On reaching the Carabao Cup quarter-finals for the second time in 13 years: "Winning is important. It feeds the dynamic and it helps everything. When you win, you get a better energy to recover properly and it feeds the good vibes."

On Jocelin Ta Bi's performance: "It was the perfect example of his talent. He needs the experience. We don't need to teach him how to dribble, escape the pressure or deliver key passes, but we can help him to defend better and be a bit more consistent. This is our job."

Hear more from Regis le Bris by hitting play below or listen on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the EFL Cup quarter-finals has been completed:

Fleetwood Town v Everton or Newcastle

Manchester City v Bradford City

Crystal Palace v Sunderland

Liverpool v Bournemouth

The matches will be played in the week commencing 14 December.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Sunderland's performance

What did you make of Brentford's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies.

There are five Carabao Cup fourth round games on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Manchester City v Brighton (19:30)

• Bournemouth v Aston Villa

• Fulham v Crystal Palace

• Sunderland v Brentford

• Liverpool v Chelsea (20:00)

Kick-off times 19:45 GMT unless stated.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Hull City" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Everton match", for example.

New this season: Live match updates

Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

Find out more here

Image source, BBC Sport

New this season: Match of the Day Predictor

Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

Read more about it here

You can find the predictor in the navigation bar at the top of this page, or on this link

Image source, SAFC

A mural honouring Sunderland's 1937 FA Cup hero Eddie Burbanks has been unveiled at the Cambridge Arms in Roker.

It completes the trio of murals dedicated to the goalscorers of the club's first-ever FA Cup final victory, against Preston North End, joining Raich Carter's in Hendon and Bobby Gurney's in Silksworth.

Reflecting on his creation, artist Frank Styles said: "I've had some great feedback, including from people whose families knew Eddie," said Styles. "Murals like this help keep the spirit of community alive.

"Yes, it was a long time ago, but I think it's magical to imagine that your actions might still be remembered 90 years later.

"The Cambridge Arms is a great place for this painting, as Eddie is looking towards the site of the old Roker Park stadium and the locals couldn't have been more welcoming."

Sunderland's 2026-27 home kit also pays tribute to the triumph, with the original city crest featuring on the outside of the back of the neck and the full starting XI from that "famous day out at Wembley" included as an interior back of the neck detail.

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland boss Regis le Bris said right-back Thomas Meunier could be available to feature from the bench for Wednesday's Carabao Cup last 16 tie against Brentford.

However, the Black Cats boss confirmed Wilson Isidor's return is "on the edge" as he looks to recover from a knock.

Meunier has been a welcome addition to Wearside with his capabilities of playing in a right-back and right-wing role.

Le Bris said: "Probably Thomas will be available coming off the bench. We'll decide."

Both Meunier and Isidor last featured for Sunderland in the 2-0 defeat to Brighton in October.

Since then, the Black Cats have picked up one point out of two games in the Premier League and have won four points from two Europa League matches.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini says the return of Brian Brobbey can give Regis le Bris the "focal point" he needs to build his attack.

The 24-year-old striker, who has scored three goals so far this season, played 65 minutes in Sunday's goalless draw against Leeds after missing three games with a hamstring injury picked up on international duty with the Netherlands.

"We're short up front and he's been a good player over the last six months," Gabbiadini told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"At the end of last season and into this season he's started very well. [Wilson] Isidor is the back-up and not many supporters have too many complaints about his quality. [Timur] Tutierov is a young player coming through and it's a big job to do when you've not got any experience really at this level.

"To have Brian there, he certainly ruffles feathers and you can see defenders straight away are wary of his presence and try everything they can to stop it.

"He had a few opportunities, he still looked a little bit off the pace but that's understandable. You do need a focal point in your attacks.

"I'm pleased he's back and hope there is no further occurrence of his injury from that performance. He sensibly wasn't left on for the full 90. It's good to see him back."

Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Sunderland and Leeds.

Here are some of your comments:

Sunderland fans

Denise: The windy conditions was never going to allow this to be a classic game of football. We kept focused, dealt better with the conditions but yet again it was a missed opportunity of maximum points.

Jura: Never has our eighth league game of the season been so significant. Losing this game would have been disastrous. We very much needed a win but a draw considering the conditions wasn't the end of the world.

Stephen: Brobbey is still a little rusty but he still demonstrated why we've missed him. I was pleased with our performance despite only a draw. I'm more confident than I was last week that we'll get through this dark period.

Leeds fans

Robert: Weather was the winner. Could have been a good game, but being honest, it was not. Another point gained towards safety.

Wayne: Fair result when you take the weather conditions into account but Leeds were a bit unlucky at the end.

Eric: We were not the only team to play in less than favourable weather conditions so let's forget the excuses. Week in, week out we have the same problems, poor distribution, poor passing, a yard slower than the opposition and second best to the 50-50 balls. Against Sunderland we were just not physical enough.

Ian: With the Windy conditions, you would have expected a confident team to pass along the floor rather than hooking it into the air. Still, on a positive note another clean sheet. We may be difficult to beat but we could do with a win. Bournemouth next week, but they will be confident after thrashing Manchester United.