Portsmouth experienced their first defeat of the Championship season on Saturday, as Sunderland secured a 3-1 victory at Fratton Park. The win allows Sunderland, the league leaders, to maintain their perfect start with a full 12 points from their first four games, making them the only team in the division yet to drop a point.
Despite celebrating their perfect record, Sunderland’s manager, Régis Le Bris, acknowledged that his team would have preferred to keep their clean sheet streak intact. Before this match, Sunderland had not conceded any goals, but a late own goal by Luke O’Nien in the final minutes slightly reduced the margin.
Portsmouth’s loss places them 18th in the Championship table with only three points and still searching for their first win of the season. Their previous draws against Middlesbrough, Luton Town, and a dramatic 3-3 draw with Leeds United have shown they are a challenging team to face.
Le Bris noted that Portsmouth proved to be a tough opponent, despite Sunderland’s game plan being effective at times. He remarked on the difficulty of applying their strategy against Portsmouth’s mix of short and direct play. “It was a tough game, and while the game plan was solid, we struggled at times. We addressed some issues at halftime and managed to recover the ball effectively in the second half, leading to our goals,” he said.
He emphasized that Sunderland’s approach is not focused on controlling possession but on creating chances and exploiting defensive weaknesses. “We prefer to create opportunities and unbalance the opponent rather than just controlling the game with many passes. Especially away from home, we focus on defense and quick counter-attacks,” Le Bris explained.
Regarding Sunderland’s impressive start, Le Bris downplayed any special tactics, attributing their success to a consistent approach and careful planning for each match. “It’s about taking it game by game, analyzing the best strategy against each opponent. There’s no particular explanation for our start; we hope to keep it up, but football is challenging,” he concluded.
