How Luke O'Nien wound-up Max Power on Stadium of Light return and other moments as Sunderland defeated Wigan Athletic

Goals from Aiden McGeady and Ross Stewart were enough to clinch a 2-1 come-from-behind victory for Lee Johnson’s men.

However, there are some important moments that are easily missed whilst in the ground and some that the highlights packages don’t show.

Here, we take a look at the events you might have missed from the win against the Latics this weekend:

The funny moment between Luke O’Nien and ex-captain Max Power

Luke O’Nien looks like a nightmare to play against.

The midfielder never gives up, loves a tackle and constantly harasses opponents.

What the 26-year-old maybe lacks in technical ability, he more than makes up for in work rate and character.

And for such a nice guy off the pitch, O’Nien looks an absolute pest on it, with the former Wycombe Wanderers man often on a wind-up.

Indeed, there was a funny little moment in the first half.

O’Nien won a free-kick after a high boot was raised to his face by a Wigan player.

Looking for an advantage, O’Nien threw the ball forward a couple of yards from the incident with the hope of getting Sunderland off on the front foot.

But the returning Max Power had other ideas.

Much to O'Nien’s amusement, Power kicked the ball back to the area of the original offence.

O’Nien responded with a smile and a little slap on the cheek of his former captain, who looked a little disgruntled both with his ex-teammate and his performance.

And you have to say O’Nien and his colleagues Corry Evans and Elliot Embleton had the beating of Power and the Latics midfield for the majority of the fixture.

Power struggled to get into the game and often dropped deep to receive the ball from Wigan’s centre-backs.

In short, O’Nien and his Sunderland teammates seemed to get the better of Power both mentally and physically.

The new faces away from the Stadium of Light pitch…

It was fantastic to see so many fans back in the ground on Saturday.

The pantomime before the game was fantastic. How we have missed that, not just from Sunderland fans but in football generally.

There were loud sarcastic roars as Power misfired during pre-match a shooting drill in front of the Roker End and jeers as Charlie Wyke buried his effort.

The flags, the noise, the colour, the passion… it was great to see it all make a return in full following a nightmare 18 months of tackling the pandemic.

After a delayed kick-off due to road works in the area, the Stadium of Light bowl was a cauldron of noise ahead of the opening whistle.

The rendition of Elvis Presley’s ‘Can't Help Falling in Love’ and accompanying roar before the opening bell brought goosebumps to arms and tears to eyes.

And those in the ground may have noticed a change.

Rory Fallow – formerly of the Sunderland fan podcast Wise Men Say – has taken over the reins from Frankie Francis as stadium announcer and did a fantastic job of whipping the crowd into a frenzy both before the game and after the win.

Let’s hope Sunderland keeps winning so the crowd can continue cheering.

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