Sunderland Maintains Unbeaten Home Record
Sunderland Remains Unbeaten at Home This Season
Sunderland AFC continues to impress at home this season, remaining unbeaten in their first seven Premier League matches at the Stadium of Light. The last newly-promoted team to achieve this feat was Blackburn Rovers, who did so 24 years ago in the 2001-02 season.
In their latest match, Sunderland staged a remarkable comeback from two goals down against Bournemouth, ultimately securing a thrilling 3-2 victory. This performance has propelled the Black Cats to fourth place in the league standings.
Only Arsenal, Brighton, Bournemouth, and Crystal Palace share the distinction of having an unbeaten home record in this season's English top flight.
Despite the team's impressive form, Manager Regis Le Bris remains focused, stating, "Our first target is to reach 40 points" following the win over Bournemouth. However, former Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole believes the team is riding a wave of momentum that can help them climb further up the table.
Sunderland's Strong Start: A Statistical Overview
Sunderland is the best-performing promoted side at this stage of a Premier League season in 20 years, since Wigan Athletic in the 2005-06 season.
Only five promoted teams have ever garnered more points after 13 matches.
While Sunderland fans are not yet celebrating like it’s 1999, it’s worth noting that Peter Reid’s squad had amassed 27 points at this stage, thanks to Kevin Phillips’ 13 goals in 13 games.
Historically, five of the last seven promoted teams with over 20 points after 13 matches finished in the top half of the table.
Sunderland's Unbeaten Home Matches
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham - August 16
Sunderland 2-1 Brentford - August 30
Sunderland 1-1 Aston Villa - September 21
Sunderland 2-0 Wolves - October 18
Sunderland 1-1 Everton - November 3
Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal - November 8
Sunderland 3-2 Bournemouth - November 29
Connecting with the Fans
The match against Bournemouth began poorly for Sunderland, as Amine Adli scored within the first seven minutes, followed by Tyler Adams doubling the lead with a stunning strike from long range. However, Sunderland found a way back into the game when Bournemouth's Alex Scott was penalized for a foul on Reinildo, allowing Enzo Le Fee to convert the ensuing penalty.
Just after the second half began, Sunderland equalized with a low strike from Bertrand Traore, which caught Bournemouth's goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic off guard. The turnaround was completed in the 69th minute when substitute Brian Brobbey headed in Le Fee's corner kick.
Defender Dan Ballard expressed his pride in the team's resilience, stating, "The team and the crowd believed, and it was a remarkable turnaround in the end. They pushed us through when we got that first goal. When we’re hanging on to a lead, they’re pushing us over the line."
Manager Le Bris echoed this sentiment, highlighting the positive energy in the stadium and the connection between the players and fans. He remarked, "We created this atmosphere and we deserved to win in the end." Sunderland's home record is particularly impressive, as they have already earned 15 points at the Stadium of Light this season, surpassing their total of 14 points from the entire previous season.
Additionally, this victory marked the first time Sunderland won a Premier League game after being two goals down, achieving this milestone on their 188th attempt. Cattermole noted, "Sunderland are riding a wave right now. The belief is there as a team, and the fans are right behind them. It’s fabulous to see, and the manager deserves huge credit for this turnaround. To come back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 shows what this place is all about."
Additional data collection and visualizations by Chris Collinson.