Sunderland players were spotted enjoying a festive night out at Ally Pally after returning from their goalless Premier League draw with Brighton

Sunderland players were spotted enjoying a well-earned Christmas night out at the darts on Sunday evening, less than 24 hours after their goalless draw away at Brighton in the Premier League.

Several first-team players, including Simon Moore, Chris Rigg, Leo Hjelde, Harrison Jones, Trai Hume and Anthony Patterson, were recognised by eagle-eyed Sunderland supporters in attendance, with images of the group quickly circulating online.

The players were at the PDC World Darts Championship, which is held each year at Alexandra Palace in north London. The iconic venue, commonly known as Ally Pally, has hosted the tournament since 2008 and is set to remain its home until at least 2031, with plans in place for the event to expand into the larger Great Hall from the 2027 edition.

Sunday’s session proved eventful on the oche. Teenage sensation Luke Littler progressed into the third round with a straight-sets win over David Davies, booking his place in the last 32 of the competition. The defending champion, seeded to potentially face Gerwyn Price later in the tournament, will next take on Mensur Suljovic.

Price, however, suffered a surprise early exit. The 2021 world champion, who had confidently stated his belief that he could lift the trophy again, was beaten 3-0 by Dutch qualifier Wesley Plaisier. Despite recording a higher match average of 95.83, Price was undone by Plaisier’s finishing, with the world number 92 converting 56% of his attempts at double.

Davies, meanwhile, endured a frustrating evening against Littler, missing six darts at double in the opening set and briefly attempting to leave the stage at 2-2 after mistakenly believing the set was over. The Welshman, who had taken time away from his full-time role as an NHS area manager to compete at Alexandra Palace, was unable to recover as Littler moved through the gears. Price’s defeat made him the 12th seed to exit the tournament early, adding further drama to a competition that continues to deliver surprises on and off the stage.

Sunderland's next game is a home match against Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at 2:00pm GMT at the Stadium of Light, leaving Hume, Rigg, Jones, Patterson, Moore and Hjelde plenty of time to recover.

What did Régis Le Bris say after the game against Brighton?

Le Bris felt Sunderland’s point away at Brighton was a deserved one after his side stood firm during a sustained spell of late pressure from the hosts. Sunderland enjoyed long periods of control despite travelling south without several players due to Africa Cup of Nations call-ups.

Brighton, however, were also missing key figures through injury, suspension and illness, and it was the home side who finished the stronger as the game wore on. While Sunderland were unable to capitalise on their chances earlier in the contest, Le Bris took encouragement from the way his players defended their penalty area to preserve a clean sheet.

“A draw was probably a fair result,” Le Bris said. “The atmosphere in the dressing room was a bit disappointed [that we didn't win], which was a good sign for the future. We had two parts to the game. Until 65 or 70 minutes, we were dominant, especially for a team playing away from home.

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“We showed good qualities, great character. We were controlling the ball, and we had opportunities to score during this period. But when you don’t score away when you have those opportunities, you can expect that the opponent will push until the end.

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“They did well during the last 20 or 25 minutes. We stayed consistent with our deep block and kept this clean sheet. They crossed a lot, as expected, so we were prepared for that. We have players who are really determined to defend the box and the goal, and they did that. They defended well.”

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