Sunderland’s ten stand tall: Isidor crowns a defiant draw to stall Villa

Down to ten men for nearly an hour, Sunderland still found a way. Wilson Isidor’s predatory equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light after Matty Cash had briefly punctured the noise with a swerving strike from distance.

Régis Le Bris’s team, reduced by Reinildo’s 33rd‑minute red card, leaned on organisation, set‑piece threat and tireless running to out‑work a side with a player more. The reward is another step in a confident start to life back in the Premier League: unbeaten in three, eight points from five, and belief to match.

Reinildo’s rush of blood, and a rearguard reborn

The afternoon lurched when Matty Cash bundled Reinildo over and inadvertently fell on him, prompting Sunderland’s left‑back to kick out and rake Cash’s thigh. The straight red left a hole on the flank and forced a reshuffle, with 18‑year‑old Chris Rigg—impressive on his first Premier League start—making way for Dan Ballard as the Black Cats dropped into a back five.

From that moment the character of Le Bris’s side came to the fore. Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete were immense in the middle, winning duels and turning defence into a platform. Mukiele’s howitzer long throws and a stream of corners kept Villa penned back despite the numerical disadvantage.

Set‑piece edge and Alderete’s bar‑rattler

Sunderland’s best warning landed on 51 minutes, Alderete climbing to thump a header against the underside of the bar. It was the clearest sign that the ten men carried real threat, their restarts and deliveries unsettling a passive Villa back line.

Even as energy was spent protecting space, the Black Cats found moments to push. Emiliano Martínez remained the busier of the two goalkeepers in terms of danger faced from dead balls and second phases, the crowd sensing something might yet drop for the hosts.

Cash’s swerve tests Roefs, but Sunderland refuse to fold

Villa’s breakthrough came on 67 minutes, Cash releasing a vicious, swerving drive from 25 yards that deceived Robin Roefs, whose attempted punch merely grazed the ball. It was Villa’s first Premier League goal of the season and could have sapped Sunderland’s resolve.

Instead, the response was immediate and mature. Xhaka and Enzo Le Fée tightened the midfield lanes, the back five held its line, and the ten men kept asking questions from set plays and long throws. The belief that Le Bris so often references was visible in every chase and clearance.

Xhaka’s touch of class, Isidor’s streak continues

Eight minutes after falling behind, Sunderland struck. Granit Xhaka drifted beyond the Villa back line to cushion a deft header into the path of Isidor, who arrived to slide a low finish past Martínez. It was the French forward’s third league goal of the season—each one at the Stadium of Light.

The equaliser rewarded the craft that threaded through a performance of graft. With Alderete and Mukiele still repelling what came, Sunderland saw out the closing stages with clarity, even when Jadon Sancho’s stoppage‑time cross tempted Ollie Watkins, who failed to connect.

Belief underlined by the boss, momentum built by the group

“It was a good draw… we wanted to suffer together,” Le Bris said, pleased with the way his side reacted both to the red card and to going 1-0 down. Fourteen arrivals in the summer have not diluted identity; if anything, the blend of Xhaka’s know‑how, Le Fée’s intelligence and the athleticism around them is knitting quickly.

Rigg’s bright first start—before his enforced withdrawal—hinted at more to come, while Reinildo’s dismissal will form a stern internal lesson. The larger takeaway, though, is collective resilience. Sunderland looked at home in the top flight against a seasoned opponent even with a man fewer.

What’s next for the Black Cats

The point keeps Sunderland’s early-season momentum intact. Unbeaten in three, they sit on eight points from five matches, with Isidor’s home form a growing asset and the defensive spine showing top‑flight nous.

Attention now shifts to Nottingham Forest away on Saturday, followed by a trip to Manchester United on 4 October and a home meeting with Wolves after the international break—fixtures that offer further chances to turn resilience into wins.