Régis Le Bris delivers verdict on Sunderland’s late defeat to Aston Villa and issues ‘positive’ message

Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris has been reflecting on the defeat to Aston Villa

Régis Le Bris believes Sunderland will learn from their late defeat to Aston Villa and that the result can still be a positive in their Premier League journey.

Sunderland thought they had snatched a point when Wilson Isidor scored to make it 3-3 in the 86th minute of the game, and they had a huge opportunity to win it in stoppage time when Habib Diarra raced through on goal. Emiliano Martinez made the save, with Tammy Abraham then scoring at the other end just moments later.

Aston Villa had been in control of the game at 3-1 even if Sunderland produced some good moments throughout, and Le Bris felt his side were ultimately punished for their slow starts to both halves.

“We knew before that it would have been a tough place to go, a top team, well-established, consistent with great players, game-changers, and it was the case,” Le Bris said.

“We played our game, with our identity. We were on the edge often, so we had ups and downs, and probably the two starts, the first half and the second half, were not good, and they punished us, which is probably the characteristic of this level. But we stayed in the game, which is really positive. We found a way to be back, and we had this opportunity to win it. Unfortunately, we didn’t, and they punished us just after. I think the game was the game expected, so no surprises.

“After that, it was a question of level, consistency, and obviously, it’s not easy, because in theory, you can manage different things, but in reality, it’s always different. So we were aligned with what we wanted to do, and I think we showed that it was possible.

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“The dressing room is disappointed. It’s simple, because we want to be competitive at that level. It’s early for us in our journey, but the players want more, and it was a good test for us.

“Not positive at the end, but I think for our journey, it will be positive.”

The defeat sees Sunderland drop out of the top half but they remain firmly in the race for a European place. Le Bris was pleased with the resilience his players showed to stay in the game and said it highlighted the fine margins of the Premier League.

“This resilience is key, and this belief that it’s still possible to change the dynamic whatever the events and the scenario,” he said.

“It could have been 4-1, because they had one or two big chances, but we stayed in the game, and finally it was a good show at the end. I think at that moment it’s fair to say that Aston Villa built more consistency throughout different seasons. Their bench was impressive. Our bench is good, but their bench was really impressive, and so they have different options, good experience, and probably they managed this part of the game better than us.”