David Moyes witnessed a stark transformation at his former club Sunderland as they secured a crucial point against Premier League leaders Arsenal in a 1-1 draw on Saturday. The former Sunderland boss, who steered the Black Cats down with just 24 points eight years ago, now finds himself enjoying an entirely different experience.
Under Régis Le Bris's leadership, Sunderland have surged to fourth place and showed remarkable resilience to deny Moyes his first return win at the Stadium of Light since his ill-fated tenure. The home side took a deserved lead early on through Iliman Ndiaye, but Granit Xhaka's impressive shot from just outside the box kept the visitors in the game.
Everton dominated the opening half, but Sunderland rallied to equalize late on after Dan Ballard headed a Nordi Mukiele ball towards goal. The pressure mounted as the hosts sensed a win, with James Tarkowski inadvertently diverting a Thierno Barry cross into their own net. However, Jordan Pickford kept his side ahead with a string of crucial saves.
The visitors somehow managed to hold on despite Everton's dominance in the second half and were left to rue missed chances, including Jack Grealish striking a post from 20 yards out during a spell of sustained pressure. In contrast, Sunderland quickly regained possession after losing it and kept pushing for the decisive blow.
Moyes expressed his satisfaction with the point, saying he was pleased at the end of the 90 minutes, especially given how Everton had dominated in the first half. He described Sunderland as "absolutely different" from when he managed them and praised their improvement, noting they were doing a "brilliant job."
Under Régis Le Bris's leadership, Sunderland have surged to fourth place and showed remarkable resilience to deny Moyes his first return win at the Stadium of Light since his ill-fated tenure. The home side took a deserved lead early on through Iliman Ndiaye, but Granit Xhaka's impressive shot from just outside the box kept the visitors in the game.
Everton dominated the opening half, but Sunderland rallied to equalize late on after Dan Ballard headed a Nordi Mukiele ball towards goal. The pressure mounted as the hosts sensed a win, with James Tarkowski inadvertently diverting a Thierno Barry cross into their own net. However, Jordan Pickford kept his side ahead with a string of crucial saves.
The visitors somehow managed to hold on despite Everton's dominance in the second half and were left to rue missed chances, including Jack Grealish striking a post from 20 yards out during a spell of sustained pressure. In contrast, Sunderland quickly regained possession after losing it and kept pushing for the decisive blow.
Moyes expressed his satisfaction with the point, saying he was pleased at the end of the 90 minutes, especially given how Everton had dominated in the first half. He described Sunderland as "absolutely different" from when he managed them and praised their improvement, noting they were doing a "brilliant job."
i cant believe how much sunderland's improved under regis le Bris... 8 years ago they were just trying to stay up lol. now they're pushing for european spots 
it's crazy to think moyes is enjoying his return to the stadium without having that same pressure he had back then. the way james tarkowski scored an own goal though was mental 
and jordan pickford's saves were like something out of a premier league highlight reel 
can't say im surprised sunderland held on though, they've been doing some great things under le Bris. 4th place is no joke!
8 years ago they were like bottom of table and now theyre 4th with over 40 points 
i love how he said sunderland is "absolutely different" from when he was there lol what a humble guy 
. And I mean, who doesn't love a good comeback story? The fact that they went from 24 points to almost fourth place is a testament to how far they've come 
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️. And then, suddenly, Sunderland starts pushing back like crazy 
. I mean, it's like their coach Régis Le Bris has them on some sort of magic boost 
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. The dude made some insane saves in the second half. Like, we're talking 10+ saves, easy 
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. It's like, David Moyes said it himself - they're "absolutely different" from when he was in charge 
. Moyes is definitely onto something with his squad, but he's got the stats to prove it 
. Sunderland's defense is looking solid, Jordan Pickford's been on fire lately 
. And let's not forget Jordan Pickford's heroics on the day 
. The fact that Everton dominated in the first half but couldn't close out the win only shows how strong Sunderland have become 
and I'm still trying to process everything 
. anyway back to Sunderland... I was thinking maybe Moyes' success at Sunderland is a bit like how I finally got good at making the perfect cup of coffee 
️ it's all about the little things and patience, right? 
️! I was so down on the team 8 years ago under Moyes' leadership but now they're killing it 
! I'm glad Moyes got that point, it's definitely a morale booster for the team 
... anyone know what happened to the team back in 2017? 
. And have you seen Everton's squad strength? I think they were due for a win, especially after dominating the first half 