What Sunderland changed at half-time at Coventry as Le Bris send cautious warning
The Black Cats grabbed a 2-1 lead for the play-off second leg at the Stadium of Light
Regis Le Bris praised Sunderland’s plan, energy, and togetherness after a hard-fought 2-1 win – but warned the play-off semi-final is far from over. Sunderland were outplayed in a match that saw Coventry have a staggering 74 per cent possession.
The Black Cats had Dan Ballard in particular to thank for the visitors’ 73 clearances as opposed to the hosts’ 22. But the most important statistic was in the goals column as Wilson Isidor – who hardly touched the ball – broke his 14-game duck with the first and the electric Eliezer Mayenda grabbed the winner three minutes from time after a loose back pass.
Mayenda, a constant threat throughout, pounced to round Ben Wilson, and calmly slotted home. The result marks Sunderland’s first win at Coventry since 1985 and gives them a slender advantage heading into Tuesday’s decider, with everything still to play for.
Speaking to safc.com, Le Bris said: “The first half was complicated because we struggled to manage our left side, and they were really strong down that flank. They overloaded that area of the pitch, and we had to fix it at half-time.
“The second half was a bit better because we regained possession in different areas, and we felt it was possible to win the ball back in midfield and use our threats. We knew beforehand that, with our two forwards, we would probably have less control in the middle but more threat in behind.
“It was possible to exploit those spaces, but we’re only at half-time in the tie. We showed, as we have in the last five games, that we had a plan.
“We were fresh, we were connected, and all our players were available. Coventry are a good team – the second leg will be tight, for sure. We showed that we were totally connected. The energy was really positive, but we’re only halfway through.”