Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris hailed a "mature" display by his promotion-seeking side after their 2-0 triumph over relegation-threatened Luton in the Sky Bet Championship. The Black Cats maintained their chase at the top of the table with Enzo Le Fee and Wilson Isidor scoring to secure the win.
The victory also preserved Sunderland's unbeaten home record this league season and sent Luton to the bottom, with fears of successive demotions looming over the Hatters. .
Le Bris expressed satisfaction with his team's ability to handle Luton's style. "Today we had good control and were mature in that game," he said.
He pointed out the significance of adapting to a new kind of opponent, saying, "It’s very important because it was a new challenge with a team who can be dominant in the air with many set-pieces and direct plays. " According to Le Bris, the key was dealing effectively with their opponents' strengths: "I think we were good in that part of the game, we were dominant, after that it was a question of disturbing the mid-low block to create chances."
Highlighting the importance of individual brilliance in such scenarios, Le Bris added, "In that situation we needed an X-factor, I think it was important to have a player like Enzo today to make the difference."
Enzo Le Fee, borrowed from Roma, made a strong impression in his time on Wearside, netting his first club goal just 13 minutes into the match. Le Bris praised Le Fee's performance and impact, saying: "Difficult for the opponent and good for us."
Le Bris noted how well Le Fee has integrated into the team: "He’s really well connected with the team and showed he can be a hard worker out of position and is here to help."
"He’s really talented. At the same time he’s a good team-mate and when you can earn this confidence for the team at the end you can show your good qualities."
Sunderland, currently in fourth place, remain five points adrift of the automatic promotion spots, but manager Le Bris is not getting entangled in the Championship's potential outcomes. "Our only focus is to win the next game and we still have 14 games to play, so it’s a long run and things can happen," he remarked.
"The only focus for us is to improve the team, face a new challenge and we’ll have another one soon."
The recent defeat adds to Luton's woes, sending them to the bottom of the table as fellow strugglers Plymouth secured a resounding victory over Millwall. The Hatters' streak without a win has stretched to nine league matches, yet manager Matt Bloomfield – who hasn't seen victory in any of his first five games at the helm – remains calm.
"There’s still a third of the season left, there’s no panic from us. We have to be realistic in where we are, of course and we’ve spoken about that. " he asserted. Bloomfield emphasised consistency: "I have to be consistent, we have to be consistent in our behaviour for the lads to be consistent in their performance on the pitch."
He acknowledged the gravity of their situation: "We understand the situation, there was no underestimating that when we came through the door and there’s no underestimating it now. " Despite the challenges, he expressed confidence in their approach: "We know where we are but we believe in what we’re doing and will make sure we improve."
