Sunderland have impressed during their return to the Premier League and will hope to secure a top half finish between now and the end of the season.

Sunderland experienced one of their most challenging days since returning to the Premier League as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at relegation threatened West Ham United on Saturday.

The Black Cats went into the game without talismanic captain Granit Xhaka after he picked up an injury and the Swiss star’s influence was sorely missed as the Hammers claimed a comfortable win at the London Stadium. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side took the lead just before the quarter-hour mark with a header from Crysencio Summerville before doubling their tally with a penalty from Jarrod Bowen. Matheus Fernandes then took the hosts out of sight with a stunning strike just before half-time as the hosts all but confirmed a second consecutive win during the opening 45 minutes.

To their credit, Sunderland improved after the restart and were given a glimmer of hope when Brian Brobbey made it three goals in his last five appearances in all competitions with 66 minutes on the clock. However, any thoughts of a comeback were swept aside as the Hammers saw out time to boost their hopes of preserving their Premier League status. The defeat left Sunderland sitting in tenth place in the Premier League table when Saturday’s fixtures came to an end - but where are the Black Cats predicted to finish this season?

We take a look an updated predicted final Premier League table provided by the stats experts at Opta.

Opta’s predicted final Premier League table

A detailed view of a replica Premier League Trophy outside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield on August 31, 2025 in Liverpool, England. | Getty Images

placeholder image — A detailed view of a replica Premier League Trophy outside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield on August 31, 2025 in Liverpool, England. | Getty Images

1st. Arsenal - 83.84 points 2nd. Manchester City - 71.83 points 3rd. Aston Villa - 70.89 points 4th. Liverpool - 61.56 points 5th. Chelsea - 59.55 points 6th. Manchester United - 56.90 points 7th. Newcastle United - 56.62 points 8th. Brentford - 55.73 points 9th. Fulham - 53.37 points 10th. Everton - 52.26 points 11th. Brighton and Hove Albion - 51.69 points 12th. Bournemouth - 50.54 points 13th. Sunderland - 49.92 points 14th. Crystal Palace - 48.98 points 15th. Tottenham Hotspur - 47.25 points 16th. Leeds United - 43.25 points 17th. Nottingham Forest - 40.57 points 18th. West Ham United - 34.90 points 19th. Burnley - 28.97 points 20th. Wolverhampton Wanderers - 21.75 points

What did Regis Le Bris say about Sunderland’s defeat at West Ham United?

Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris. Pic by Chris Fryatt | Chris Fryatt

Speaking after the loss at the London Stadium, the Black Cats boss said: “Yeah, they were better than us in the first half, scored three times, could have scored more goals, better in duels, more composed and the ability to threaten our goal and to score, so they were better, yeah, I agree. We played more or less like that against Manchester City, for example, so with probably two more creative midfielders, but we used this set-up during the friendly games at the beginning of the season and I expected a good workflow.

“I think the team selection is not probably the main point, it's more about our level during this first half. We can talk about tactics, about the way we defended this side or this side, the way we attack or defend. It was a question of individual level and we were too far from our standards and when it's the case in this league, you get punished.”

Your next Sunderland read: Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's disappointing defeat at West Ham and these were my key conclusions