Ten men, one point: Isidor rescues Sunderland as Villa’s wait for a win goes on

Sunderland’s grit outlasted Aston Villa’s relief at finally finding the net, as Wilson Isidor’s late equaliser earned a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light. The hosts played just under an hour with 10 men after Reinildo was sent off for violent conduct on 33 minutes, yet they fashioned the game’s best openings either side of Matty Cash’s swerving strike.

Villa, who had not scored in the league this season before Cash’s 25‑yard effort, could not turn the man advantage into a first win. Sunderland, unbeaten in three, climbed to eight points from five games; Villa remain winless on three points and marooned in the bottom three.

Red card, reshuffle, and a tilt of momentum

The match turned on Reinildo’s dismissal after Matty Cash bundled him over and fell on him, prompting the Sunderland left‑back to flick out a boot and rake Cash’s thigh. It was a flash of temper that brought a straight red and forced Régis Le Bris into immediate surgery: teenager Chris Rigg, bright on his first Premier League start, was sacrificed for Dan Ballard as the hosts switched to a back five.

Paradoxically, the numerical disadvantage sharpened Sunderland’s focus. With central defenders Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete outstanding and Mukiele’s long throws a growing weapon, Villa’s passing became passive. Robin Roefs, largely untroubled before half-time, watched his outfield colleagues carry the greater threat from restarts.

A warning off the bar, a swerve that struck first

The warning for Villa arrived on 51 minutes when Alderete rose to thunder a header against the underside of the bar. It encapsulated the pattern: Sunderland’s set pieces carried menace, while Villa struggled to build sequences that hurt the 10 men.

Sixteen minutes later, Cash tried his luck from distance and found the breakthrough. His hard, viciously swerving shot foxed Roefs, whose attempted punch merely brushed the ball as it flew in from 25 yards. It was Villa’s first Premier League goal of the season and seemed, briefly, a turning point.

Xhaka’s craft, Isidor’s finish

Sunderland refused to fold. Granit Xhaka and Enzo Le Fée knitted a narrow, industrious midfield that kept the 10 men advancing in surges. When Xhaka ghosted beyond Villa’s back line to cushion a header into space, Isidor arrived to poke a low finish beyond Emiliano Martínez for his third league goal of the campaign, all at home.

The leveller reflected the broader theme: Sunderland’s organisation trumped Villa’s extra player. As Unai Emery’s agitation grew on the touchline, his side mustered only one shot on target after the interval despite their advantage and, in stoppage time, Ollie Watkins failed to make contact with Jadon Sancho’s inviting cross.

Emery’s identity check, Le Bris’s affirmation

“We need to get our identity back,” Emery said, lamenting his team’s lack of confidence and even calling Villa “lazy” on the concession. The manager disappeared down the tunnel before the final whistle, the late image of Watkins swiping at thin air emblematic of a side short of conviction. Villa’s attacking numbers reflect it: they have generated the worst expected‑goals figure and fewest shots on target in the division after five games, according to analysis cited in the coverage.

Le Bris, by contrast, praised a “good draw,” the togetherness of a side willing “to suffer” and their reaction to going behind. With 14 new faces arriving in the summer, Sunderland look far from a newly assembled group; Alderete and Mukiele anchored a deep block, Rigg showed promise before his enforced withdrawal, and the front line again benefited from Xhaka’s guile.

What it means and what comes next

The point reinforces Sunderland’s encouraging start: unbeaten in three top‑flight games and eight points from five, with Isidor scoring in each home match. Villa, meanwhile, remain winless on three points and stuck in the bottom three despite finally breaking their goalscoring duck.

Ahead, Sunderland visit Nottingham Forest on Saturday before trips to Manchester United and a home date with Wolves after the international break. Villa launch their Europa League campaign against Bologna, then host Fulham and Burnley in consecutive league fixtures under a spotlight that is growing sharper.