Sunderland enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, prolonging the visitors’ wait for their first Premier League win of the season.
Nordi Mukiele put Sunderland ahead just 16 minutes in at the Stadium of Light, following a lovely pass-and-move combination with Trai Hume during a confident first-half performance from the home side.
Following narrow heartbreaks in each of their last two outings, much was expected of Wolves ahead of this contest, but they struggled to make an impact, with Joao Gomes twice firing wide.
The Black Cats finally put the game to bed in second-half stoppage time, forcing an own goal as Chemsdine Talbi’s pass was turned past Sam Johnstone by an unwitting Ladislav Krejci.
The result lifts Sunderland to seventh in the table, level on points with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, while winless Wolves remain rooted to the bottom.
How the match unfolded
Sunderland made a lively start as Noah Sadiki slipped Wilson Isidor in behind after nine minutes, but the forward’s powerful near-post finish past Johnstone was ruled out for offside.
That early warning proved a sign of things to come, as Mukiele put Sunderland ahead just seven minutes later, sliding the ball between Johnstone’s legs after an exquisite one-two with Hume.
The hosts continued their dominance throughout the half, as Hume saw a diving header crash off a post just before the half-hour mark.
Wolves started the second half brightly, with Gomes dragging a volley well wide before Marshall Munetsi forced Robin Roefs into a close-range save, though the offside flag would have denied him anyway.
Jackson Tchatchoua had a golden opportunity for Wolves to level late on when he was played through on goal, but panicked under pressure, scuffing the shot wide.
Sunderland sealed the win in the second minute of stoppage time, as Krejci’s attempted block inadvertently turned Talbi’s pass into his own net following a pacy counter-attack.
Black Cats flying high
Ahead of kick-off, Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris spoke highly of his side’s identity to earn points through defensive solidity, but it was their attacking intent that set the tone early on Saturday.
Isidor’s disallowed goal stirred the Stadium of Light into life, and the optimism quickly paid off when Mukiele and Hume combined for the opener.
Mukiele started his run down the left, fed Hume centrally, and latched on to the perfectly weighted first-time return pass before slotting the ball into the net, with Johnstone only managing a faint touch on its way in.
Sunderland should have doubled their lead midway through the first half when Dan Ballard’s flick-on from a Mukiele throw found Hume, who should have done better with his close-range header.
After the break, though, Wolves began to find their rhythm, forcing Le Bris’s men to lean on the very defensive resilience he had praised. And the hosts did just that, withstanding a spell of intense pressure courtesy of some standout proactive defending from Ballard and Omar Alderete.
Despite the pressure, the hosts still carved out openings, with Isidor firing his early effort wide just past the hour mark before they got a slice of luck right at the end.
Le Bris’s side will now prepare for a high-intensity trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, with the two teams level on points.
Winless Wolves left waiting again
Wolves entered the October international break in need of a reset after back-to-back heartbreaks – having taken the lead against both Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion, they failed to hold on for victory in draws.
However, the break appears to have done little to change their fortunes. Unlike in previous outings, Vitor Pereira’s side did not strike first on Saturday, instead offering minimal resistance as Sunderland comfortably played their way through.
Their best moment of the first half came from Jhon Arias, whose deflected free-kick from a tight angle grazed the top of the net as Wolves failed to register a shot on target before the interval.
Pereira’s side responded strongly after the break, with Joao Gomes’ volley rolling wide after some positive build-up play. The Wolves midfielder followed that up with another off-target effort. For their part, Munetsi and Hugo Bueno continued to deliver dangerous crosses into the penalty area.
Despite dominating possession across the second half, Pereira’s side had to wait until the 70th minute to register their first shot on target – one that ultimately did not count – as wasteful finishing continued to frustrate the Portuguese head coach.
Wolves will continue hoping for a change of fortunes as they next host another promoted side, Burnley, in what could be a pivotal clash at the bottom of the table.
Club reports
Sunderland report | Wolves report
What the managers said
Regis Le Bris: "It's an important win. It was important to react after Manchester United defeat last time out. I was happy with the mind-set of the team. We started well and dominated possession. We generated momentum and chances. My only regret was we didn't score the second goal until late. We're still a young team but we showed a togetherness to keep a clean sheet."
Vitor Pereira: "The first half was technically poor. When I look back at the first half, I don't remember good moments. In the second half we corrected our moments and in my opinion we played 30 minutes of high quality football and created three or four chances to score.
"In the Premier League you cannot lose these moments. But in the end we concede. In the last 15 minutes with two strikers we stopped playing, we started playing the long ball and this is not our game."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Sunderland have 14 points from their opening eight Premier League games this season, their most at this stage since 1999/00 (also 14) and the most by a promoted club since Wolves in 2018/19 (15).
Wolves have failed to win any of their opening eight league games for the second season running – they’re just the second side to do so in consecutive Premier League campaigns after Sunderland (2015/16 and 2016/17).
No side have won more home points in the Premier League than Sunderland this season, with 10. Only Arsenal (with one goal) have conceded fewer home goals than the Black Cats' two in 2025/26.
Mukiele scored his first Premier League goal. He’s the third Frenchman to score for Sunderland this season (after Isidor and Enzo Le Fee). It's the first time they’ve had three different French scorers in a single campaign in the competition.