‘Written in the stars’ – Sunderland’s incredible comeback analysed

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With 15 minutes of the Sky Bet Championship play-off final left to play, Sheffield United looked to be on their way back to the Premier League.

Tyrese Campbell’s cool finish in front of the Sunderland fans after 25 minutes seemed to be enough to get the job done at Wembley.

But then Eliezer Mayenda leathered a shot past Michael Cooper to significantly increase the chances of extra-time after 76 minutes, and – in his final game for his hometown club before a summer move to Brighton – Tommy Watson’s 95th-minute winner sparked pandemonium.

It was the latest goal scored in a Championship play-off final since the EFL was rebranded in 2004/05.

In the end it was the Black Cats – who finished 14 points behind the Blades during the regular season – who clinched a return to English football’s top table for the first time since 2016/17.

Hear from Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris, Jobe Bellingham, Tommy Watson and more below, as they reacted to victory…

Le Bris: We finally found the solution

Sunderland’s Regis Le Bris on Sky Sports Football:

“It was a weird game. We didn’t start it well, we were maybe a bit nervous. We knew before they could be clinical and they were.

“This game represents the way we have played this season; with resilience, with discipline.

“We got back in the game and we have talented players, so we can score.

“We were lucky because we had many options on the bench. We tried two or three different options and finally we found the solution, the players found the solution.

“You have to wait sometimes five, 10 minutes to analyse, to assess if it works or not, but in the end, it was a good decision.”

Bellingham: You get experience by failing – and in the end we’ve come good

Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham on Sky Sports Football:

“It means everything for everyone here. It’s all the club have been aiming to achieve for eight years.

“Every single player who’s come here has spoken about getting the club back to the Premier League.

“So many have failed, but I take a lot of pride in saying I was one of the players who helped this great club get back to where it belongs.

“I always believed. When you’ve got supporters like this, and a group of lads like that, you have to believe.

“I know people doubted us, and that’s understandable. We lost a few games and people talk about momentum, but I think we did enough and showed throughout the season for people to at least give us some credit going into the play-offs.

“You need experience, of course, but with youth, you play loads of games and you get that experience. You get experience by failing and we failed together so many times – in the end, we’ve come good.”

Watson: My story was written

Sunderland’s Tommy Watson on Sky Sports Football:

“I think my celebration says it all. Just look around, it’s unbelievable.

“We’ll see each other in the Premier League next year, in the big time.

“I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. My story was written when I came off the bench. I couldn’t have pictured it any better.”

Hinchcliffe: An extraordinary turnaround

Andy Hinchcliffe on Sky Sports Football:

“For Sunderland, it was written in the stars. The two legs against Coventry, on the back foot, found a way. In this game they were second best. But they somehow find a way.

“I feel a bit shellshocked that Sheffield United have conspired to lose this game of football. We say it time and time again about the Championship, you think you’ve seen it all then something special happens. An extraordinary turnaround.

“Remember Sunderland came into the play-offs on five straight defeats. No team in EFL history has ever done that. Yet they recovered.

“They got past a Coventry team expected to beat them. Second best here but two bits of stunning quality from young players have got Sunderland to the Premier League. What a story.”

McAnuff: Victory sums up Sunderland’s resilience

Jobi McAnuff on Sky Sports Football:

“Today pretty much sums up Sunderland in a nutshell, in terms of resilience, having to overcome adversity.

“One of their main players, their leader [Luke O’Nien] goes off so early, they weren’t in the game for 75 minutes. They come up with a moment and then the whole mood shifted.

“You don’t do that without togetherness and organisation and belief. To see that in such a young squad, the job Regis Le Bris has done is phenomenal.”

Goodman: Sunderland snatched victory from the jaws of defeat

Don Goodman on Sky Sports Football:

“They will go down in history. They will never, ever forget this day.

“It’s compounded by the way they’ve done it. It really did come out of nowhere. They snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

“I always like to commiserate with the losers because the pain is sometimes unbearable. I feel for Sheffield United. They will go again next year.

“But it was written in the stars for Sunderland.”

Wilder: VAR decision gave Sunderland energy

Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder on Sky Sports Football:

“It’s going to take quite a while to get over for the players, the staff and, most importantly, the supporters. It’s a tough one to take, from our point of view.

“The goals are disappointing from our point of view, the manner of the goals. I never felt we were under major threat.

“Everyone talks about stats and we’ve had the biggest chances, but stats don’t win games. They’ve found their moments, we haven’t found our moments; they find themselves in the Premier League and we’ve got to go again.

“One thing I will say is, having played 46 league games and two play-off games, all of a sudden VAR comes into play. Big moments. If we go 2-0 up, I think we win the game comfortably, I think that really punctures them.

“But I thought that gave them belief, that gave their supporters the belief and, from that moment, gave them some energy.”

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