Rigg’s brilliance & Le Bris’ composure won the day for Sunderland against Boro

A stylish finish from Rigg and a calm, level-headed approach helped the Lads to make amends for last season’s disappointment.

It was ‘the backheel heard right across Wearside’ and as Chris Rigg wheeled away in celebration after scoring the winner for Sunderland against Middlesbrough on Saturday, the explosion of joy that echoed around the Stadium of Light was one of those moments that are now becoming commonplace as the Lads emerged victorious against a solid but peculiarly limited Boro side.

Three home wins from three? Check. No goals conceded during that run? Check. Tactical versatility and adaptability demonstrated in abundance? Absolutely. Boxes ticked left, right and centre, and after the shocking run at the back end of last season under Mike Dodds, the upturn in form on our own patch has been extremely welcome.

Naturally there’s an urge to remain cautious at this stage, but based on what we’re seeing so far, something is definitely starting to emerge under Régis Le Bris.

This feels and looks like a new Sunderland. We’re a team that can mix it up, adapt their game to suit a given opponent, and perhaps most crucially, respond professionally whenever we hit a bump in the road.

Following the blip against Plymouth I was eager to see how the players responded and how Le Bris would deal with the build up to his first Wear-Tees affair as Sunderland head coach.

The answer? Extremely impressively, and I don’t think you can overstate the value of Le Bris taking a calm, measured and level-headed approach ahead of this game.

Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The familiar tropes about the validity of the fixture as a ‘derby’ were batted away by the Frenchman during the week.

The errors made against the Pilgrims didn’t cast a shadow over our preparations and the reward was a victory over Michael Carrick’s side that keeps us near the summit of the table, currently behind only West Brom in a top two that has ‘pure Coca Cola vibes’, as some might say.

There was much to admire about our display on Saturday and it was a classic example of our players taking to the field unburdened, focused on the task at hand, and not distracted or troubled by what had gone before. Matching and bettering Middlesbrough’s attitude and level of application was the only way we were going to win, and that’s exactly what we did.

Chris Mepham demonstrated all of the class and guile you’d expect from a player of his experience, Romaine Mundle was a threat all afternoon and might’ve scored with a free kick in the second half, and Jobe, who was absolutely everywhere, is now entering the second stage of his development, something about which we can all feel excited.

As for Rigg — his backheeled finish, a piece of improvisation to take the breath away, merely provided further proof that he’s an elite technical talent with the footballing intelligence and vision to match, and that he’s heading for superstardom at an almost unstoppable rate.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Seventeen years ago, the late Liam Miller popped up with a superb last-gasp goal to earn us a share of the spoils at the Riverside during Roy Keane’s first season of top flight management, and on Saturday, another piece of individual quality proved the difference.

Boro were game and wholehearted but surprisingly one-dimensional, with Tommy Conway and Emmanuel Latte Lath notably ineffectual. Although this wasn’t a victory borne of champagne football, it was the result of a desire to work damn hard with and without the ball, to operate on just the right side of the dividing line between aggression and recklessness (even if Trai Hume pushed that theory to its limits), and to remain disciplined throughout.

Middlesbrough might’ve enjoyed over 60% possession on Saturday but the hordes of red and white fans who packed into the Stadium of Light enjoyed 100% of the points when all was said and done.

The Sunderland dressing room will be a very happy place at this moment. There’ll be a buzz at the training ground, and Le Bris is looking ever more commanding on the touchline.

The process that led to his appointment might’ve been long and often frustrating, but credit should always be given where it’s due: this is looking like an ever shrewder decision and a win against the visitors from down the A19 is guaranteed to generate even more credit for Le Bris.

A great day all round.