Sunderland 1-0 Fulham: Three Things We Learned As Super Sub Wilson Isidor Nets Winner

Sunderland achieved their first win of the 2026/27 Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Fulham at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon courtesy of substitute Wilson Isidor's second-half winner.

Regis Le Bris made one change from Sunderland's 2-1 defeat at Ipswich Town on opening weekend, with fit-again Nordi Mukiele returning to the Black Cats starting XI in place of Luke O'Nien in the heart of defence.

Within the first 45' the Black Cats enoyed 56 percent possession, but both sides failed to create any standout opportunities, seeing the clash remain goalless going into the break.

Sunderland started the second half poorly, with a noticeable lack of intensity and impetus in attack, before Le Bris brought on Isidor and Habib Diarra in place of Brian Brobbey and Nilson Angulo, respectively was the catalyst for the Black Cats' victory.

Shortly after his introduction, Isidor hit Fulham's post after excellent playmaking from Enzo Le Fee, before moments later finally finding the net with an almost identical chance to latch onto a brilliant ball from his fellow super substitute Diarra.

After seeing his side notch their first win of the season, some Sunderland factors will have become clear to Le Bris from the Fulham display.

Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka was uncharatericstically poor in the defeat at Ipswich last time out, but the Black Cats' midfield metronome was back to his magnificient best against Fulham.

In the hear of Le Bris' midfield, Xhaka ran the show in typical fashion, dictating the tempo and rhythm of Sunderland's play in every area of the pitch.

Xhaka was awarded player of the match for his efforts, and rightly so considering the Swiss veteran had the most chances created (three), successful final third passes (16), progressive passes (eight) and line-breaking passes in final third (11).

Sunderland's season is up and running, and so is the Black Cats captain.Ca

Le Bris kept Brobbey in the starting XI despite his wasteful outing at Portman Road, and the Dutchman was hooked on the 65-minute mark after failing to notch a shot on target.

Isidor entered the fray, and this proved to be an incredible tactical decision from Le Bris, with the Haiti star utilising his pace to stretch and run in behind Fulham centre-backs Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey to great avail.

With Diarra bombing down the right, Isidor timed his box entry to perfection to coolly slot past Bernd Leno, just minutes after spurning a guilt-edged chance for the opener, showing great composure and desire to break the deadlock for his side and get off the mark this season.

With the summer transfer window closing in the coming days on September 1, it was clear to see from the victory over Fulham that Sunderland need attacking recruits to aid their chance creation and goalscoring output.

Le Bris' side looked much more dynamic in attack following the introduction of Isidor and Diarra, who unfortunately went off injured just 13 minutes into his cameo with a hamstring concern, but the warning signs are there for the Black Cats.

Recently, Sunderland have been heavily linked with Igor Paixao of Marseille, as well as reports emerging regarding the Black Cats' interest in Lyon starlet Malick Fofana, and those types of signings are needed at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland got the job done against Fulham, who were even more toothless than the hosts themselves with Alvaro Arbeloa's side failing to manage a singular shot on Robin Roefs' goal, but the win clearly illustrated that attacking dynamism is needed for Le Bris before the window slams shut on Tuesday.