Regis Le Bris reveals key to brilliant Sunderland win and Eliezer Mayenda's goalscoring breakthrough

Regis Le Bris hailed Eliezer Mayenda for his role in Sunderland's stunning win over Sheffield Wednesday and said his brace for the work he has put in over the summer.

Mayenda has emerged as the first-choice number nine for the Sunderland head coach following his return from a loan spell at Hibernian and produced two excellent finishes to help his team start the campaign with back-to-back wins. Sunderland are still searching for an experienced striker to add balance to their options but Mayenda has shown he has a big part to play in the campaign.

"It's really a good example for all the team," Le Bris said.

"He wasn't a starter last season but he still wants to improve. He has many qualities but he is still young, every day during the training session and after the games he played, he wanted to find the little details he can improve on. Today was the reward for him.

"I think there are two positions on the pitch where it is heavy to play, in goal and number nine. Because the pressure, the expectation, is very high. For a young boy like Eliezer, today was for sure a great experience. We also know that we need to repeat and this is the most difficult thing as a number nine and for other positions on the pitch. I'm happy for him because he works hard, he's very clear in the part of the games that he needs to improve. He's always sharing ideas with the coaches and his team mates, and in the end he improves. This is a good example for all the team."

Le Bris said that his team's defensive effort was the key to their success and that the high press they showed will be vital to their prospects at the Stadium of Light this season.

He said: "For us, the idea was very clear. We have many talented players in this squad, but we need to create some strong foundations to play together and during this game this was the case. Especially, the way we recovered the ball. We defended together, we tried to close the spaces and intercept the ball as high as possible. To be very compact, to be very strong. We felt the confidence inside the game.

"The first idea is to defend together, really. I know we have many qualities, for fast attacks for example, we have many strong players throughout the squad for this. So the game against Cardiff, for example, our high press wasn't good and our build up under pressure wasn't good. It's proof that the players were aware and very clear on the improvements they had to make this week. After this one, we have to find another step to reach. After ten games, it will be clearer for us and everyone in the league - but this team has a great potential, for sure. If we keep this mindset and willingness to improve, we can succeed. The stadium was very impressive. When the team represents the spirit of the community, the link is very strong. The way we played, the way we defended, the fans liked that and when they like it, they can give us extra energy. Then, the rhythm and the energy is higher."