Enzo Le Fée reflects on fan support after his Brentford miss and delivering in Sunderland’s FA Cup win

Enzo Le Fée said the response from Sunderland supporters following his penalty miss against Brentford played a major role in helping him make amends during the FA Cup victory over Everton, as the midfielder delivered at both ends of a dramatic night on Merseyside.

The Frenchman opened the scoring with a composed first-half finish before later stepping up to convert a crucial penalty in the shootout, helping Sunderland book their place in the fourth round. It came just days after Le Fée had been left crestfallen by his miss against Brentford, but he insisted the backing he received from fans helped him channel that disappointment in the right way.

Reflecting on his goal against Everton, Le Fée explained how the moment unfolded. “No, I’m just waiting when I saw Eli with the ball. He did well because he kept three or four players behind him and I was calling him, ‘Eli, Eli, Eli’. I think he gave me the perfect ball, and because of the speed, it was perfect for me to shoot in one touch. I was only focused on the movement, and when he gave me the ball, I just put it in the corner, and it was good.”

The reaction inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was immediate, with more than 7,500 travelling Sunderland fans erupting as the ball hit the net. For Le Fée, that moment carried extra meaning after the previous week. “Yeah, of course. Even more for me. For me as well, because after the pain against Brentford, I received a lot of good messages on social media from them and even in the warm-up. So I received a lot of support, and it was important for me to react quickly because I think the pen wasn’t my value. You know what I mean?”

He added that the miss had not dented his confidence, nor changed his approach. “I think they prefer one guy who shoots strong and misses than this, but this is the game. We play football to see some spectacle and to enjoy, so that’s why I tried. Today it was important for me to react, and I can say as well the pain was important for me. It was the perfect way to win because I scored and I had another pain to show them that if I want to score the pain, I can do it. So yeah, it’s perfect.”

Despite Everton’s late equaliser from the penalty spot, Le Fée felt Sunderland deserved to progress. “Yeah, of course. I think for me there is no pen on Trai, so we felt a little bit frustrated after the pain, but after five minutes, I think we kept the control of the game, even if they had some counter-attacks in extra time. It was more for us, I think.”

The shootout itself swung decisively in Sunderland’s favour thanks to Robin Roefs’ heroics, something Le Fée acknowledged made his own task easier. “And of course the pain shootout was perfect. I think Robin did a perfect job for us. Even for me, I was first, but he stopped the first penalty, so it’s easier to go. Then he stopped the second and the third, so that’s perfect.”

Le Fée was always determined to take responsibility from 12 yards again, regardless of what had happened previously. “I told the guys that I didn’t know we were going to have pen today, but I told them that the next pen I would take the ball. Even after that one, if someone wants to shoot and it’s like this, I can give him. I don’t care. I’m not here to score a lot of goals, it’s not my target.”

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For the midfielder, the message to supporters was clear – belief and bravery matter more than fear of failure. “But for me, it was important to react, like I said. So I told them if there is another penalty, I would take the ball, and I would shoot, and I would score. I think they trust me because everyone, even the best players in the world, can miss something. For me, the most important thing is to try. If you don’t try, you never miss. And if you never miss, you never get success.”

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