With both Leeds United and Burnley picking up Premier League results yesterday, it was up to Sunderland to keep up their end of the bargain today as another newly promoted side managed to stave off an unwelcome defeat.
Thankfully, it played out just like that as Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats battled it out with Aston Villa all match, earning themselves a well-deserved share of the points in the 1-1 draw come the end of the contest.
Sunderland, on another day, could well have buckled under the pressure after Reinildo Mandava received a first-half red card, culminating in the Villans then picking up an easy victory.
Instead, Sunderland stood tall and competed even when reduced to ten, with Wilson Isidor also getting in on the goalscoring action again, as the Frenchman continues to solidify himself as a fan favourite so early into the challenging Premier League campaign.
Why Isidor is a fan favourite at Sunderland
Already, Isidor was a well-liked striker on Wearside, considering he hammered home 13 strikes last season as promotion to the top-flight was achieved.
Now, however, he’s a next level of popular at the Stadium of Light, with this instinctive finish after a clever Granit Xhaka header set him free, his third league goal already on home turf.
That means the energetic number 18 now finds himself in the same conversations as former Black Cats goal machine Darren Bent, with Isidor hopeful of a similarly long-lasting career at the very top of the English game if he can keep up this red-hot streak of form.
Obviously, without the Frenchman’s crucial finish late on, Le Bris and Co. would have been staring down the barrel of a defeat.
But, the clinical attacker was given that platform to be the hero off the back of a heroic defensive display, as the bold hosts put their one-man disadvantage firmly to one side to fight their way to a gritty draw.
The Sunderland star who is as undroppable as Isidor
It shouldn’t be the greatest shock that Sunderland battled well at the back; however, with the newly promoted outfit just fresh off a 0-0 stalemate at Crystal Palace, that saw the Black Cats’ defence tested regularly.
Yet, it takes another level of determined display to be able to seal a result when down to ten men, but with Nordi Mukiele in the heart of defence being valiant once more, the lack of Reinildo on the pitch wasn’t as painful to come to terms with.
Mukiele hasn’t even needed a lengthy amount of time to grow accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the Premier League, with the French colossus thrown straight into the deep end against the Eagles and Brentford in the previous encounter, only to win a ridiculous 15 duels in total.
The 6-foot-2 centre-back is becoming nearly as undroppable as Isidor by putting in these consistent attritional showings, with his hard-working approach clear for all to see again versus Villa, as the ex-RB Leipzig warrior was constantly put through his paces.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
47
Accurate passes
11/18 (61%)
Key passes
3
Clearances
12
Tackles
3
Total duels won
7/10
Amazingly, before delving deeper into his back-to-the-wall showing, Mukiele also impressed when attempting to carve out openings, with three key passes registered across his near faultless 90 minutes.
Yet, it was his battling nature that really shone through as the likes of Ollie Watkins were regularly kept at arm’s length, as seen in Mukiele winning 70% of his duels and registering 12 clearances to ensure Matty Cash was the only fortunate goalscorer for the visitors.
This never-say-die attitude on display today will stand Sunderland in great stead to beat the drop, knowing they don’t fold when the going gets tough.
After the match, Mukiele was rightly showered with praise, with Sunderland-based journalist James Copley heralding him as “absolutely incredible”, while Sky Sports’ Keith Downe dubbed him a “beast” for his commanding showing.
Further handed a 9/10 post-match rating by journalist Phil Smith – who also affectionately labelled the no-nonsense 27-year-old a “titan” – it really does look set in stone that Mukiele has to be in the heart of the Black Cats’ defence from now on, much like Isidor will feel even more assured that he is Sunderland’s leading man in attack.