Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's comeback win at Middlesbrough and here are the conclusions I drew
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Sunderland produced a superb comeback at The Riverside on Monday night to beat Middlesbrough 3-2.
Phil Smith was there for reporting for The Echo and here are his key conclusions from the game...
A new Sunderland hero is born
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Hide AdIt was a performance that Sunderland fans will still be talking about years down the line. We know that Enzo Le Fée would ideally like to be playing in a central position, and that he is never going to be at his best out wide. Régis Le Bris told us as much in his pre-match press conference last Friday, admitting that the constant 1-v-1 duels the position creates doesn't real suit the Roma loanees' best strengths.
Even so, it had clearly been a matter of time before the assists began to flow. There was Wilson Isidor's controversially disallowed goal at Derby, the clever turn and cutback that Dennis Cirkin fired over the bar at the same ground. The cross that just evaded Dan Neil against Plymouth - Le Fée was creating chances even as he was getting up to speed. So there was no surprise that he finally got on the board when Isidor brilliantly rounded Mark Travers, and while it won't officially count as an assist, the touch and cross that forced Ryan Giles's own goal was even better. It was one of many moments in the game where Le Fée was ahead of anyone else on the pitch, his quality and decisiveness genuinely breathtaking. Le Fée almost operated as a unorthodox target man on the left flank, his ability to take possession in pressurised situations and take Middlesbrough's pressing players out the game with a clever touch or early pass crucial to the victory.
It was a win that kept Sunderland's hopes of making the top two very much alive ahead of two home fixtures, but the scenes at the final whistle as players and fans celebrate will endure whatever happens between now and May. Perhaps it was a bit of a lesson to take a moment to appreciate what we have this season, regardless of whether the end destination is the Premier League. Sunderland have a young side packed with both quality and character, and the prospect of watching for Le Fée for another sixteen games at least is something to truly savour. We have all followed Sunderland long enough to know that players and teams like this don't always come around all that often: let's enjoy it for however long it lasts.
Middlesbrough's poor defending costs them
Le Bris can always be relied on for an honest assessment after the game and here it was impossible to argue with his verdict that Sunderland had been fortunate not to fall further behind in a dismal opening to the game. To their credit, Middlesbrough were excellent. At their best, their rotations, pressing and passing are a match for anyone in the league and Sunderland struggled to cope. Particularly in their attacking play, they are clearly superbly coached and can beat anyone at this level.
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Hide AdThe quality of Le Fée was probably the main difference between the two teams but Sunderland's resilience was undoubtedly a big part of the turnaround. Middlesbrough have not been ruthless enough in either box this season and it cost them again here, their inability to defend their box the main reason Sunderland enjoy such a strong points advantage in the table at the moment. A deflected strike and an own goal will no doubt leaving Middlesbrough feeling slightly hard done by, but Sunderland's attacking threat after Neil's goal was clear. They created an impressive XG of 2.07 over the course of the game, comfortably superior to Middlesbrough's 1.43. They had nine shots on target to Middlesbrough's four, and nine inside Middlesbrough's box. They also had an impressive 24 touches inside Middlesbrough's box, underlining that they were worthy of the win even if they rode their luck in the opening stages.
Samed makes a telling contribution
Breaking up the play, protecting the back four diligently and making simple but effective passes to launch counter attacks - this late cameo was exactly what Sunderland fans were hoping Salis Abdul Samed could bring to the table this season. It was a brave call from Le Bris to bring on a defensive midfielder at 2-2, but it helped the Black Cats regain some control of a game that had probably become too open after Hayden Hackney's equaliser against the run of play. Le Bris rightly fielded criticism for handing Samed his first start against Plymouth, a game that probably didn't suit him, but the head coach did say afterwards that he would much stronger for it. Last night's evidence raises hope that this is indeed the case.
Le Bris weighs up Dan Ballard dilemma
Sunderland have shipped four goals across their last two games and so Le Bris must be weighing up whether it is time to bring Dan Ballard back into the starting XI. Ballard is probably Sunderland's best defender and certainly their most imposing player physically, but Chris Mepham has arguably been one of the players of the season so far. And Luke O'Nien showed why Le Bris rates him so highly with the switch of play that Le Fée so brilliantly turned into Sunderland's winning goal. Especially at home against teams sitting deeper, his willingness to take risks on the ball and play those big switches to the winger in space are vital. It's a tricky conundrum for Le Bris and it will be fascinating to see how he goes over the next couple of games.
Your next Sunderland read: 'Staggering': Phil Smith's Sunderland player rating photos as rare 10 dished out in Middlesbrough win
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