Brian Brobbey believes Sunderland’s results will improve after his Manchester City hat-trick left them with four points from five games.

Brian Brobbey insists Sunderland’s results will improve if they maintain their level of performance, after his hat-trick at Manchester City brought personal satisfaction but no Premier League points.

The striker scored all three of Sunderland’s goals in Sunday’s 5-3 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, twice drawing the visitors level before reducing the deficit to 4-3 in the second half. His finishing gave Régis Le Bris’ side a chance of taking something from the contest, but defensive mistakes and City’s attacking quality proved costly.

Sunderland sit 14th in the Premier League table, with four points from their opening five matches. They are one point above the relegation zone, having recorded one win, one draw and three defeats, but Brobbey believes their performances offer reason for confidence. Asked whether Sunderland were failing to get the results their displays deserved, he said: “Yeah, true, true, true. But what I say, we just need to keep going and at the end the results will come.”

The defeat followed another frustrating league outing against Arsenal, when Sunderland created opportunities but were beaten 2-0 at the Stadium of Light. Between those fixtures, Le Bris’ side opened their Europa League campaign with victory over AZ Alkmaar, and Brobbey remains encouraged by the football they are producing. “Yeah, good. I think we are playing really good football. So we just need to keep going,” he said when asked to assess the start to the season.

Brobbey takes encouragement from approach

Sunderland repeatedly responded to setbacks against City, with Brobbey cancelling out goals from Enzo Fernández and Rayan Cherki before Antoine Semenyo put the hosts ahead for a third time. Semenyo’s second made it 4-2, but Brobbey completed his treble to keep the visitors in contention.

Le Bris later introduced Wilson Isidor alongside him as Sunderland chased another equaliser. Erling Haaland eventually scored City’s fifth, although the visitors continued to create opportunities late in the game, with Dan Ballard and Malick Fofana both threatening.

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Brobbey felt the collective performance deserved credit, even if the result left him disappointed. He also pointed to Sunderland’s determination to pursue victory away to the league leaders as part of the confidence they are trying to develop. “Yeah, I think as a group, we played a really good game. So it's sad that we lost,” he said. Asked what the performance showed about the team’s mentality and character, he added: “Yeah, of course, we are always going for the win. That's what we are trying to do, to build with the team confidence.”

Hat-trick brings relief despite defeat

Brobbey’s three finishes were a major positive for Sunderland, with Enzo Le Fée instrumental in both first-half goals before Granit Xhaka and Nilson Angulo combined to create his third. The striker made the most of those openings and admitted there was relief in finding the net again. “I'm really happy with the three goals because I was dry for a long time. So when you score three against Man City, it's a good feeling.”

Sunderland now enter the international break with three weeks until their next league fixture, giving them time to reflect on a start that has included encouraging attacking performances alongside costly errors. For Brobbey, the focus is on the squad coming back together and building on the football they have shown they can play. “Yeah, true. I think when we are all coming back, we need to be together again and then we'll go from there.”

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