Sunderland

Sunderland put their unbeaten home record on the line against a Wolves side who are still searching for a first league win of the season.

BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes ahead of their game at the Stadium of Light.

At the start of the campaign it is fair to say most Sunderland fans would have happily taken 11 points from seven games going into October's international break. Their tally is as many as the three promoted sides had managed between them at this stage of last season as Leicester City (six), Ipswich Town (four) and Southampton (one) all got off to a terrible start.

It has been the Black Cats' form at home that has underpinned their impressive return to the top flight. They have secured two wins and a draw at the Stadium of Light with Wilson Isidor scoring in all three matches. Another victory would take them to 10 points from their opening four home matches in a top-flight season, something they have not managed since 1968-69.

Regis le Bris's side sit in ninth position, despite having only scored seven goals in seven games. Their average of 10 shots per match is their lowest in a Premier League campaign since records began in 1999-00.

The same can also be said for Wolves, whose average of 9.4 shots per match is also their lowest in a Premier League season. Vitor Pereira's side are one of two top-flight teams this season, along with Fulham, to have not had a player score more than one league goal so far.

They may sit at the foot of the table, but Wolves have actually improved on their start to last season. However, having two points compared to one is not something to cheer a fanbase who voiced their displeasure at the end of the frustrating draw with Brighton last time out.

Manager Vitor Pereira was sent off on a fractious afternoon at Molineux as their propensity to toss away a lead again cost them dearly. They have now opened the scoring in their past three Premier League games, but have failed to win any of them.

Pereira is also yet to get the best out of a squad that is clearly missing last season's top scorer Matheus Cunha. Chasing an elusive first win of 2025-26 has seen the Portuguese boss make a top-flight high 25 changes to his starting XIs so far.

Only Manchester United with 29 in 2001-02 and Manchester City with 26 in 2012-13 have ever made more by this stage of a Premier League campaign.

Karan Vinod
BBC Sport journalist

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Sunderland's Trai Hume has been one of the breakout defenders of the 2025–26 Premier League season, and the numbers show why. After helping the Black Cats earn promotion, the Northern Ireland right-back has adjusted seamlessly to top-flight football, combining tenacity with intelligence in and out of possession.

Data from Opta via FBref shows Hume's performance in several key defensive areas, expressed in percentiles, which compare players with their peers. So being in the 80th percentile means he's outperforming 80% of full-backs in that category. These stats are also based on metrics per 90 minutes.

The 23-year-old's defensive profile paints the picture of a player who enjoys duels and defensive responsibility. He ranks near the top of the Premier League full-back pool for tackles in the middle third, underlining his willingness to step forward and break up play early.

His interception numbers are also good, reflecting sharp anticipation and positional awareness to cut out danger before it develops.

In the air, Hume is reliable, in the top seven per cent for aerial duels won, a valuable trait for a modern full-back who frequently faces diagonal switches and balls to the back post.

He has also proved adept at tackling, holding his ground in one-on-one situations.

Perhaps the most significant stat is Hume's ability to make tackles without fouling. He ranks in the 93rd percentile when it comes to fouls committed, in other words, he is someone who hardly catches the referee's attention.

In fact, he makes only 0.23 fouls per 90 minutes, despite being aggressive and on the front foot. It is quite surprising for a defender in a newly promoted side.

All this being said, there are two important caveats. First, Sunderland have spent much of the season without the lion's share of possession. In fact, they have only seen more of the ball in two Premier League matches - one of which was against Burnley, a game they still lost 2-0. That imbalance means Hume naturally has more opportunities to make defensive actions, so some of his numbers may be slightly inflated.

Secondly, the Premier League season is only seven games old so this is a small sample size. Regardless, the early signs are encouraging.

For a player still only 23, Hume's numbers reflect not just promise, but consistency at Premier League level.

As Sunderland strive to stay up this season, Hume is likely to be a crucial cog in whether they do indeed survive.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Journalist

Sunderland boss Regis le Bris has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Wolves at the Stadium of Light (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Noah Sadiki and Omar Alderete suffered injuries on international duty. Le Bris says that Sadiki has been checked and seems OK. Alderete had a longer journey back and the club will have to wait to check on his condition - but initial chats were "positive".

• He says there is a possibility for both players to start against Wolves.

• Le Bris says the head of player recruitment, Stuart Harvey, was an important figure at the club, but his departure is part of their evolution. He added that there will be "different options and structure" arriving soon.

• On Saturday's opponents: "They struggled at the beginning of the league, but their last two games showed that they are competitive. They have good energy and are well coached."

• Luke O'Nien was described as a "really good example" for the club after making the journey from non-league to the Premier League: "You have your own skills, own journey and background - his mentality is absolutely fantastic, he wants to learn every day and connect with his team-mates."

• Le Bris spoke about his tactical experiences so far as a Premier League manager: "We don't live the same situation twice - everything is different. We have a young squad with 14 new signings, so we are still learning something new and we are playing against the best teams in the world. We are learning together, through both positive and negative results."

Listen to BBC Radio Newcastle Nick Barnes speak with Le Bris on BBC Sounds

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

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

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The Premier League table is starting to take shape and while results are obviously what matter most, they don't tell the whole story in terms of how teams have been playing so far.

Expected goals (xG) tells us how much teams have been dominating games by creating lots of good chances up front and restricting opponents to few, bad ones at the back.

Penalties are excluded because they distort a team's numbers on how threatening or vulnerable they are in general, especially at this early stage.

Below is a graphic showing how good teams have been in attack and defence, with the most dominant teams in the top-right corner and the least impressive in the bottom-left corner.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been the most dominant sides, with the Gunners having the best defence and fourth-best attack and City the joint-best attack and fourth-best defence.

High-flying Crystal Palace are the only side to rival City's attacking threat, while Newcastle are living up to their name by being almost as impregnable at the back as Arsenal.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have one of the top five attacks in the league but worryingly also rank in the bottom five defensively.

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Liverpool's back-to-back defeats following five straight wins gives a more accurate picture of how they have been playing, while Tottenham have needed to be very efficient to make up for their lack of dominance in games.

Aston Villa's early-season struggles are no longer to do with finishing - they have now scored six non-penalty goals from an xG of 6.0 - but simply because they have not been playing well.

While promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland have adapted quite well to the top-flight, Burnley have struggled to make the jump so far with both the worst attack and the worst defence.

Read more on what expected goals tell us about the start to the season

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On Wednesday, BBC Radio Newcastle's Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes is answering your questions.

In this final part, he looks at the ambitions held by the club.

Stephen asked: When will Sunderland expand the capacity of the Stadium of Light?

Nick answered: Interesting question.

The club has applied to extend the Roker End but there are so many variables to be considered - staying in the Premier League is one of them. It is a big question whether the club want to take the financial hit at the moment.

It is one to watch but it certainly underlines the ambition of this ownership group that it is something they are considering.

Kevin asked: Given our very good start, should we now have bigger ambitions than finishing just 17th this season? Or should we remain humble and if we finish 17th celebrate it like a cup win?

Nick answered: It would be great to think they can finish higher than 17th but I think we have to be realistic.

With the fixture list for the next few months being particularly demanding, remaining humble would not be the worst thing in the world at the moment.

If Sunderland are still in the top 10 at Christmas, then that may be the time to loosen the shackles and start to believe they could finish much higher. But for the time being they need to be winning at home and beating the teams around and below them.

Continue in that vein and a degree of greater optimism can be happily embraced.

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On Wednesday, BBC Radio Newcastle's Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes is trawling through your questions.

The second part takes a look at Regis le Bris' options upfront.

David asked: Do we need to sign another proven goalscorer in the January transfer window or do you think we have enough goal threat with the existing squad? Are you expecting another busy window?

Nick answered: Personally I would like to see another forward but Regis le Bris seems confident the current three of Wilson Isidor, Brian Brobbey and Eliezer Mayenda will be good enough.

That said, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they are looking at the market and if the right player becomes available I suspect they would be open to bringing someone else in.

I expect movement especially as by January we will know the impact of injuries, cards and the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). The club will also look to move a number of players out.

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Richard asked: Hi Nick, two questions - do you think Brobbey will become a regular starter? And how will Afcon impact us given we will lose so many starters?

Nick answered: I understand Brobbey is still carrying a slight knee injury. He is not 100% fit at the moment but is clearly not far away.

A lot I guess will depend on how he adapts to the Premier League when he does get his opportunity. Undoubtedly though, in being given the number nine shirt, he is high in the club's mind as the foremost striker.

Regarding Afcon, it is largely in midfield where the impact will be felt. I think they have enough cover in defence to bridge the time the players are away. Then, with a little imagination and versatility eg Mayenda playing right wing, Enzo le Fee on the left and Dan Neil, Chris Rigg and hopefully a fit Brobbey, they can muster a strong first team.

It will also be a surprise if all six or seven African players are away for the duration of the tournament.

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Throughout Wednesday, we are going to be putting your questions to the BBC's Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes.

In the first part, he looks at Regis le Bris' tactics and how to compensate for the loss of injured Noah Sadiki.

Davey asked: With the news that Noah Sadiki has sprained an ankle, how do we replace his energy in midfield?

Nick answered: It remains to be seen just how serious his injury is but if he does miss the Wolves match, Le Bris suggested at Crystal Palace that Dan Neil would have replaced him when he picked up a knock early in the game.

As it happened, Sadiki played on and late in the game Lutsharel Geertruida replaced him, but I see the Dutchman more as a defensive player than an attacking option. Therefore, I would expect Neil to be the replacement.

Peter asked: In defence, Nordi Mukiele has done so well alongside Omar Alderete, and yet we surely need Dan Ballard back, for both penalty boxes. Perhaps Le Bris could move Mukiele to right-back and Trai Hume switch across to the left?

Nick answered: It's a discussion I've had a fair few times over the past few weeks.

It's certainly an option and I agree regarding Ballard. There is a school of thought Le Bris may opt to play three at the back away from home, which would accommodate Ballard in the team.

Of course if Alderete is injured, Ballard will be straight back in and it is almost certain Le Bris will play four at the back at home

Gavin Henderson
Fan writer

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I hate international breaks.

I have really enjoyed this season so far, but the worst part of it has been having things repeatedly disrupted - and there's ANOTHER one in November!

Not only do I have to find other things to do around the house, but I have to wait anxiously on whether one of our players has got injured while away with their country.

As I write, it seems one of our key men has picked up a knock and is a doubt for the home game with Wolves this weekend.

Noah Sadiki has been an absolute revelation at Sunderland since arriving from Union Saint-Gilloise summer. Initially, I was not sure if he was one for the future or was someone to come straight into the starting XI.

It was clear from minute one of pre-season that he is a proper player and not here to warm the bench.

Prior to arriving, his nickname was 'Mini Kante'. You can totally see why once you see him popping up here, there, and everywhere on the pitch.

He is so good at covering the ground that when we went down to 10 men against Aston Villa, nobody really noticed, as Noah did the running of two men.

He missed out on DR Congo's second international game of the break with a sprained ankle and was sent back to Wearside for treatment and assessment.

The brief footage we have seen showed him limping and, while he was not wearing a moon boot or using crutches, it did not look great.

Injuries and knocks aside, it is not ideal trying to prepare for a game when most of your squad will not return to training ground until Thursday or Friday.

But all teams at this level have good players, so Wolves will be no different to us. We have just got to hope Regis le Bris has eked value from the time he has had with his remaining players.

We beat Livingston in a behind-closed-doors friendly with a relatively strong side last week. Those minutes will be important going forward, as injuries to Habib Diarra and Sadiki prove we are going to need a fit and firing squad to stand any chance of surviving.

For the first time in forever, we are favourites for a Premier League game - and with good reason.

We have had a cracking start while Wolves are bottom, but they have improved recently. Even so, they have chucked away leads against Spurs and Brighton late on, which may point to some fragility. We have to try and exploit that.

With tougher games on the horizon, this result may prove pivotal to keep up our brilliant start to the season.

Find more from Gavin Henderson at Roker Report, external

Even though we are in the middle of an international break, there is still plenty to talk about at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland are continuing to defy expectations and sit in the top half of the Premier League. Regis le Bris' side have four games to play before the next international break in November, including matches against Chelsea and Arsenal.

Do you have a burning question about tactics, player contracts, the upcoming January transfer window or anything in between? BBC Radio Newcastle's Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes will be answering a selection later this week.

Get in touch with your question here

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Sunderland's head of player recruitment Stuart Harvey has left the club.

Harvey spent four years with the Black Cats, playing a key role in the their two promotions from League One to the Premier League.

Sunderland made 15 signings over the summer after wining the Championship play-off final and have started well in the top flight, sitting ninth after seven games, but a club statement said the decision has been taken to "mutually part ways".

Sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: "Stuart has made a significant contribution to Sunderland AFC throughout his time at the club.

"His professionalism, expertise, and dedication have been evident throughout, and he has played a key part in our progress in recent years.

"He worked tirelessly through the summer to ensure continuity and consistency in our recruitment processes, and he leaves with our gratitude and best wishes for the future."

Marc Guiu may return to Sunderland during the January transfer window despite the 19-year-old striker only being recalled from his loan spell at the Stadium of Light by Chelsea in August. (GiveMeSport, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini placed "a lot of expectation" on Regis le Bris' side when they travelled to Old Trafford last weekend.

The Black Cats fell to a 2-0 defeat after conceding two first-half goals, something which the former player said was "frustrating".

Speaking on BBC Radio Newcastle, Gabbiadini said: "They just didn't have the final touches against Manchester United. We have seen some good goals scored away from home and some comebacks at home this season, but it just didn't happen for them this time.

"The result was frustrating because there was a lot of expectation on them, myself included in that.

"You don't often get the opportunity to go to Old Trafford and feel like you are the better team.

"They may have better players that cost a lot more money, but as a team they aren't as well organised or advanced as us at this stage of the season."

Listen to the full conversation on BBC Sounds

Gavin Henderson
Fan writer

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My pre-match enthusiasm for a successful Sunderland result was quickly dampened when, after just eight minutes, Mason Mount brought the ball down with a deft touch and passed it into the net past Robin Roefs at Old Trafford on Saturday.

It was, perhaps, a reminder that the Premier League is an unforgiving mistress, and even at a low point, every single team at this level has the quality and capability within their ranks to devastate you with a moment of quality.

Could and should Sunderland have got something from this game? I'd argue yes - after we went 2-0 down and made tactical and personnel changes, I think the Lads created more than enough chances to give ourselves a decent chance of evening the scores, but it just wasn't to be. There wasn't much in it, but we didn't take the chances that we did have, and unfortunately, it just wasn't our day. That's the other side to the Premier League too - you absolutely need to take your chances, otherwise you'll be punished. Minutes into the game, Bertrand Traore missed the ball as it ran across him from 10 yards out; Dan Ballard's free header just before half-time hit the side netting when it really should have made the inside of Senne Lammens' goal bulge; and there were shots from Granit Xhaka, Eliezer Mayenda, and Chemsdine Talbi that, really, we ought to have done better with.

That said, it could have been much worse, and you absolutely have to credit Regis Le Bris and his players for not letting the game run away from them. Instead, we shored things up, and we were competitive.

We've now played seven games at this level, and in none of them have we not been in the game. That in itself is something to take pride in, because it shows we can compete. Sure, we won't win every single match, but to expect us to do that would be farcical. All we can realistically expect is that the players show the desired effort required, and if it's not good enough on the day, then we just hold our hands up and move on quickly.

That said, we were not helped by the officiating, and it feels to me that the poor decision-making from Stuart Attwell and his assistants has gone under the radar. The decision to reverse the penalty call still baffles me, as, regardless of whether or not contact was made, it's a high boot and anywhere else on the pitch, that's a foul, so why not in the box? How, with the benefit of VAR, was the correct decision not reached? Then, later in the game, there was the call to book Traore for diving when he was obviously fouled. This is where I don't understand the use of VAR, because if Traore had collected a second yellow and had been sent off, it would have been unfair, as he shouldn't have received the booking in the first place. Shouldn't the VAR officials be able to contact the referee in that instance and tell him he got it wrong? Bruno Fernandes and, to a slightly lesser extent, Lammens can count themselves lucky that they got away with that one.

It's a shame to be heading into the international break on the back of a defeat, but we can hold our heads up high, take advantage of the time that the break affords us, and then go out and give a good account of ourselves against Wolves at the Stadium of Light.

Hopefully, we can stretch our good run of home form against a team who are struggling - another win would signal we're still heading in the right direction and are looking at what can be constituted as a good season for Sunderland.

Find more from Gavin Henderson at Roker Report, external

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Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini says people can "overthink" Regis le Bris' decision not to start defender Dan Ballard in Saturday's 2-0 defeat against Manchester United.

Ballard was left on the bench from the start at Old Trafford but was brought on with 37 minutes gone and the Black Cats already two goals down.

"It's easy to say [he should have started] but sometimes you can mess about too much," Gabbiadini told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"If it comes of you're a genius but, if it doesn't, have you done the right thing?

"Most coaches edge on the side of everyone knowing their job. Sometimes there's a glaring mismatch but sometimes your position on the field doesn't make too much difference. There's a certain responsibility on a player to read the game and fill in the position which they think is needed.

"We're in an age where these things get analysed by hundreds of people with different opinions. He's gone to a back five but that can also mean he's gone to a back three with two full-backs pushing on. There's two different ways of reading that.

"We can overthink it sometimes and I think the key things went for Manchester United on the day.

"We never got outplayed or overawed particularly. Like all Le Bris teams have been, we were competitive, had opportunities to get forward, but did the sensible thing a lot of the time.

"You just sometimes have to move on to the next game."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Manchester United and Sunderland.

Here are some of your comments:

Man Utd fans

Bob: Very small tweaks made a very big difference. Plus, it's nice to have a goalkeeper who at last who appears to know his job. When Matheus Cunha finally snicks into gear we may have a chance of top five... maybe!

Brian: Any win in a good win. The performance was better overall but as a side we give the ball away in the middle third far too easily with players out of position. This put us immediately under pressure. I struggle to understand why we don't knock more balls in the air into the box now we have a centre forward who is 6ft 5in. In summary, there was better quality of passing and better balls into areas we can score from. We can and will play better.

Paul: Really good performance from the players with plenty of good pressing and passing. Benjamin Sesko was a revelation and Senne Lammens showed why we bought him with a good first outing. Ruben Amorim made his usual strange substitutions but thankfully it didn't affect the result. What we need now is consistency and the results should follow.

Sam: It is a much-needed win, however, how often have we seen this before from United? They are consistently average, then receive criticism from all sources, and then put in a reasonable shift to scrape a win. Amorim is the wrong man in my honest opinion, and this group of players are unrecognisable as a true Manchester United team, unfortunately.

Sunderland fans

David: The first 35 minutes was arguably the poorest we have defended this season, until Regis le Bris was brave enough to admit that he had picked the wrong XI and change the system. We then held our own against an impressive United but, being greedy, we still need to work on being more of an attacking threat and a cutting edge. Great start to the season overall though.

Andre: So kicking someone's armpit or chest isn't a foul is it not? It has to be the head apparently. Isn't a high foot kicking any part of the opposition player a foul? A high foot is a high foot. And to book Bertrand Traore when he was clearly wiped out was shocking too.

Peter: Not fantastic but because of our great start, the disappointment is dampened. I hoped we could win as Man Utd have come under so much pressure. Le Bris will be frustrated to not take all three or even one but still such a positive start.

Lee: The shape was wrong to begin with but that's fine because it was spotted and changed. However, our passing was well off and it was frustrating not to see us mix things up and go more direct to cause a bit of chaos. All too easy for Man Utd.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures and Friday's action.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

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Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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All the talk pre-match had been about Amorim and his system.

It is the respective sizes of the clubs that mean Sunderland boss Regis le Bris is able to go about his work without the same intense scrutiny and external analysis they have to deal with at Old Trafford.

Maybe it will pass more or less unnoticed that the French manager, who has gained such plaudits for his work on Wearside, had to make a change after 37 minutes because he got his formation wrong and needed to find a way of stopping United getting straight through his team.

The decision to introduce defender Daniel Ballard for winger Simon Adringa allowed Le Bris to revert to a back five, after which Sunderland were not opened up quite so much.

By then though, the visitors had Robin Roefs to thank for still being in the game.

Roefs made replica saves to turn away shots by Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo, both of which were heading for the bottom corner.

The Dutchman did even better to deny Fernandes, who found space inside the box and curled an excellent shot towards the top corner

Sunderland manager Regis le Bris speaking after the defeat to Man Utd: "We didn't start well, it's a bit disappointing because we had good ambition here. The first 30 minutes were not at the level expected or the Premier League.

"They [United] scored twice then after that it became another game. We changed our shape to make a one-v-one game, it was a bit chaotic but at least we were back in the game. We were not strong enough to create chances today, only at the end."

On the overturned penalty: "I haven't reviewed it so I don't know, I don't think it would change my opinion about the game. This game doesn't define our start to the season. But when we are not at the level I don't think we can exist in this league.

"We are still a young team with not much experience together so we need the ups and owns. Obviously we don't want to be too negative when we lose but it's a strong reminder because this league is very demanding."

Did you know?

• Sunderland have failed to score in three of their four away games in the Premier League this season (W1 D1 L2), while they've now scored in just seven of their last 21 matches on the road in the competition (W4 D1 L16).

Listen on BBC Sounds to hear more from the manager, plus BBC Radio Sunderland's post-match reaction

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

Have your say on United's performance

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