Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris has urged supporters to be patient after his side secured a 1-0 victory over Fulham at the Stadium of Light, saying the club’s ambitions can only be fulfilled through “a process”.
The Black Cats earned their first win of the season on Sunday when substitute Wilson Isidor came off the bench to score a well-taken goal in the 75th minute.
The result was Sunderland’s first victory over Fulham since December 2017, when they also won 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in the Championship. It ended a joint-longest run of three successive defeats against the Cottagers.
Sunderland have also won their first Premier League home match in consecutive seasons. They beat West Ham 3-0 in their opening home league fixture last campaign, having previously failed to achieve that since 2007.
“It feeds the confidence, especially at home,” Le Bris told Sky Sports. “We want to rebuild our fortress, but it is a process.
“Sometimes you lose, and you say maybe it is not the right timing or the dynamic is not good, but it is a process.
“You have to learn from mistakes, reset and go again. That is going to be the case for next week against Brentford.
“It is obvious for Sunderland, but for every club in this league, you cannot play with 11 players. They did really well and finally we scored.
“This is the reality of the competition and if you are not all in, you cannot play at that level. They were all in.
“The Premier League is really demanding, and we enjoyed being back at home. Our crowd and our fans are so important to lift the standards and the energy.
“Our players are now getting used to creating this connection with them. Whether it is a counter-press, a tackle or a high press, we feel the energy of the crowd, and we can switch the momentum.”
Isidor’s decisive contribution came soon after he signed a new contract with Sunderland, giving the home supporters another reason to celebrate.
The Haiti international has now scored two match-winning goals in the Premier League. His latest came exactly one year after his previous one, a 90th-minute strike that secured a 2-1 home win over Brentford last season.
The defeat leaves Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa with a difficult start to his time in charge. Following losses against Chelsea and Sunderland, the Spaniard has become the fourth Fulham manager to lose each of his first two Premier League matches, after Roy Hodgson, Slavisa Jokanovic and Scott Parker.
Fulham struggled to create clear chances against Sunderland. They attempted 11 shots but failed to register a single effort on target. It was the most shots a team had managed in a Premier League match without hitting the target since Fulham recorded the same total against Brentford in April.
“It was a tough game for us. We didn’t deserve it,” Arbeloa told BBC Match of the Day.
“Sunderland were better for many minutes. We need to improve many things, especially the energy and the attitude.
“If you want to come here and play like you want to play, then you need to have the mentality. It’s not easy, but we are a new team with new ideas.
“We will improve with time. We will have ups and downs. We need to realise we need to show more energy and fight for every ball.”
