Cardiff City boss Omer Riza's unheard classy Sunderland presser comment as Régis Le Bris makes shock call

Sunderland faced Cardiff City at the Stadium of Light in the Championship on Saturday afternoon, with plenty of talking points emerging before, during and after the clash.

The Black Cats made it back-to-back Championship wins after Chris Mepham’s goal secured a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday. Eliezer Mayenda had given the hosts an early lead, but they were pegged back by Isaak Davies’ half volley

Here, we take a look at the interesting moments you may have missed as Sunderland faced Cardiff in the Championship at the Stadium of Light:

Sunderland reach milestone game

The Black Cats’ clash against Cardiff City marked the club’s 5,000th home league game.

Sunderland’s first league home game came against Burnley on September 13, 1890, at Newcastle Road, the Werarsiders’ home before Roker Park. The Black Cats became the 14th club to reach the 5,000 milestone, with Barnsely and Nottingham Forest having also reached the same total this season.

The first ever team to reach the 5,000 league game mark are Tuesday’s opponents, Preston North End, who reached the feat back in 2020 against Derby County. Teams to have reached 5,000 now include Preston North End, Burnley, Derby County, Wolves, Bolton, West Brom, Blackburn Rovers, Notts County, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Barnsley and Sunderland.

The occasion was marked before the game with EFL chairman Trevor Birch joining Sunderland’s CBO David Bruce on the pitch to celebrate the feat which the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle United and Chelsea have not yet reached in their history. Sunderland fans unveiled a display in the East Stand as the players took to the pitch to mark the historic event.

Luke O’Nien was also honoured before the game and presented with an award by Birch and Bruce after reaching 300 games for Sunderland against Sheffield Wednesday last week. The clash against Cardiff City was the 30-year-old’s 301st in all competitions. The defender - who holds the record for most appearances at the Stadium of Light - was warmly received by the crowd before kick-off.

Jobe Bellingham breaks record

Ahead of the game, Jobe Bellingham became the first player born after the first re-branded Championship game was played on August 7, 2004, to make 100 appearances in the competition. The clash against Cardiff City marked the 19-year-old’s 101st second-tier appearance.

The attacking midfielder made his 32nd league appearance of the season for Sunderland against Cardiff City and played 45 times in the Championship for the Wearsiders during the 2023-24 campaign. That takes the England youth international’s figure to 77 league games for Sunderland. Jobe has also played a further two times in cup competitions for the Black Cats, taking his overall tally to 79.

Régis Le Bris’ shock recall decision ahead of Cardiff City game

Régis Le Bris named an unchanged Sunderland side to face Cardiff City at the Stadium of Light, with defender Joe Anderson returning to the squad somewhat surprisingly.

Le Bris rewarded Eliezer Mayenda for his superb match-winning brace at Sheffield Wednesday last week, with Wilson Isidor continuing on the bench. Leo Hjelde and Alan Browne also kept their places in the starting XI, with Dennis Cirkin and Chris Rigg on the bench.

Tommy Watson was named on the bench for the first time since suffering a significant injury in December and replaced Mundle in the second half with the score level at 1-1. The Sunderland head coach had already warned earlier in the week that he would introduce the winger slowly into the team as he looks to build Watson and Romaine Mundle back up to full fitness.

Sunderland handed double injury blow against Cardiff City

Salis Abdul Samed was absent from Le Bris’ squad for the game with an injury, which could take up to five weeks to heal. Trey Ogunsuyi was also left out ahead of Sunderland under-21s’ PL2 Cup game against Burnley next week.

Le Bris was handed a further blow just 23 minutes into the match when winger Patrick Roberts, who had already provided Mayenda with an assist in the second minute, was taken off with an injury. The former Man City and Celtic attacker was replaced by Chris Rigg. Le Bris said after the game that the injury to Roberts wasn’t too serious but added they will have to wait and see after the forward expeirnced some tightness.

Sunderland move clear of seventh place

Sunderland’s win against Cardiff City at the Stadium of Light on Saturday meant Le Bris’ side moved 15 points clear of Bristol City in seventh place, meaning it would take a monumental drop-off for the Black Cats not to finish in the play-offs at this point.

In terms of the top two, Sunderland remain eight points behind second-place Sheffield United after the Blades won against Preston North End on Saturday. Leeds United play Portsmouth on Sunday, a win for the Whites would see them move 11 ahead of the Black Cats at the top of the table.

Cardiff City manager’s unseen classy press conference moment

After the clash, Cardiff City boss Omer Riza faced questions from the press at the Stadium of Light. The Bluebirds boss revealed that Aaron Ramsey had been rested for the game as he recovers from a lengthy injury lay-off. Riza also still stated that although Sunderland are a good young side, he thought his side were worth a point.

However, after the cameras and video tapes were off, the 45-year-old showed his class and wished Sunderland well for the rest of the season, which is certainly not something that every visiting manager to the Stadium of Light does.