Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris paid tribute to Sunderland’s character and ambition, following their hard-earned draw with Manchester City.
The Black Cats ensured a share of the spoils in their opening match of 2026, despite spending much of the contest on the back foot at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland were comfortably beaten 3-0 in the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium last month.
However, Le Bris was thrilled by the strides shown by his players since that game, as they held out for a deserved point.
“It was a good game against a really strong opponent, one of the best in Europe,” he said. “[It was] important to defend properly. We showed we can defend high, when they came a bit higher with their quality, we had to manage the ball in the final third.
“They created many chances, but the character was good. Even when we were on the edge, we had one foot, one head, something to protect the ball.
“It was important to escape their counter press, they were excellent a few weeks ago at the Etihad, and it was impossible to escape their counter press. We did well with that today. We are growing and learning from different experiences.
“It’s a question of experience, the standards in our team are high. They want to get better. If you stay at the same level, the league is going so fast that you’ll be finished. They are still ambitious.”
Another HUGE point on the boardpic.twitter.com/hlAe7DFB4Y
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) January 1, 2026
Sunderland remain seventh in the Premier League table at the turn of the year, and have now taken points from each of the division’s top five teams since their return to the top tier.
Indeed, the Black Cats are also just the second promoted team to remain unbeaten in their first 10 home games in a Premier League campaign, after Ipswich Town in 1992-93 (first 11).
“I think every time we play at our home, the fans are incredible,” added defender Trai Hume. “They’re our 12th man, and I think you can see that from our performances and how our home record is this season.
“They always push us. We make it tough for opposition teams coming here, so we need to keep it that way.
“We wanted to be bold. When we went to their place, we went there with a bit of naivety and a bit of respect, which they totally deserve, but coming here was a different game plan.
“We wanted to get after them and press, and I think we did that. At times, we won the ball back, we created chances ourselves.”
“It’s just the energy, our dressing room is so positive,” skipper Granit Xhaka continued. “We have such good energy with the staff, with the players.
“In the end, the results speak for ourselves because we are putting a lot of effort day by day, week by week. I think we can be very happy for the moment.”