'Love him': The brilliant Sunderland dressing room reaction to special Poznan moment
Sunderland drew 1-1 with Lech Poznan on Thursday evening but there was a special moment for Timur Tutierov
Timur Tutierov's first senior goal earned special praise in the dressing room after Sunderland's 1-1 draw with Lech Poznan, with Luke O'Nien saying he was 'unbelievably proud' of the Ukrainian.
With Brian Brobbey and Wilson Isidor still absent, Tutierov again led the line for the Black Cats in Poland and gave them the lead just two minutes into the game when he headed home Nilson Angulo's cross. The game eventually finished 1-1 as Sunderland were pegged back in the second half, but Tutierov's goal and spirited second-half performance was one of the big positives of the night for his team mates.
Tutierov arrived on Wearside in 2023 and O'Nien says his current success is a result of his hard work since then and particularly his willingness to learn from the challenge of training with the senior team over the last year. "Granit [Xhaka] singled him out and said to him well done in the changing room." O'Nien said.
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"It's nice because I've seen how hard he's worked over the last two, three years, every single day, and how hard he pushes the group, even last year when he trained with us every day.
“Seeing someone like that work so hard, day in, day out, he pushes me to the very, very limits, always wants to do extras. It's no surprise to me that he's coming onto the big stage and scoring goals, it's just a matter of time before he gets more.
"Listen, he's one of the smartest people I know. We test him all the time on the bus, and he's very, very smart, so it's not just in terms of knowledge but his footballing IQ. He understands the game, knows where he's going.
"He's always ready to receive information and knowledge and it's exactly what you want in your group. So, yeah, honestly, I love him."
Sunderland are hopeful that Brian Brobbey will be able to return to the side against Leeds United on Sunday afternoon as the attention turns back to Premier League action, but Tutierov will be in the squad again with Wilson Isidor a major doubt as he continues his comeback from a knock.
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