Despite A Brutal Week, Sunderland’s Season Is Far From Over
“Fifty points remains an achievable target, but a win at Molineux is a non-negotiable as we aim to crack it.”
A Sunderland Tifo is displayed during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Nottingham Forest at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, United Kingdom, on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Scott Llewellyn/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images Sunderland, eh? There’s no other football club like it; an institution capable of making you feel ten feet tall before breaking your heart or a more exposed part of your anatomy, as American aerospace engineer Kelly Johnson once said — and often in very, very quick succession.
If last Sunday’s unexpectedly bonkers 4-3 loss at the hands of Aston Villa was a tale of noble failure amid a last-gasp push for glory, Friday evening’s shellacking by their fellow Europa League semi-finalists was just a little bit rubbish — and the worst thing was how unexpected it was, as well as the speed at which Sunderland collapsed. With the sun beating down, feelings of optimism running high, the new Welcome To Sunderland sign greeting match goers in the spirit of Roker Park and the Lads seemingly well-placed to bounce back from Villa Park and give their European credentials even more heft, it felt like it could’ve been one of those classic Stadium of Light evenings akin to Coventry City during the 2025 playoffs or perhaps even that iconic clash with Burnley back in 2007. Problem was, the match itself then kicked off.
And that’s where it all started to go wrong. By the time the final whistle blew ninety-plus chastening minutes later, it felt like we’d been put through a spin cycle as Nottingham Forest —anchored by the brilliant Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliott Anderson and with Igor Jesus and Chris Wood in no mood to mess about — resurrected the 4-4-2, allowed us no time to breathe and headed back down to the shires with three points and five goals after the ultimate Robin Hood-style pillaging. For the Lads?
A night to forget. Nobody really turned up and although you could at least say that we played our part against Villa, this was far more straightforward. Sunderland’s players let themselves — as well as their head coach and the fans who’d turned out in great numbers — down big time.
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