A first Sunderland goal for Nordi Mukiele (£4.0m) helped secure victory for Regis Le Bris’ side on Saturday, as Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered their sixth defeat in eight league matches.
Here are our Scout Notes from the Stadium of Light.
MUKIELE IMPRESSES AT RIGHT-BACK
Nordi Mukiele opened his Sunderland account on Saturday and offered a real attacking threat from his position at right-back.
The 27-year-old, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, impressed throughout, linking up well with fellow full-back Trai Hume (£4.5m) to give the hosts the lead, with the goal coming from a sequence following a long throw.
Hume later struck the post himself after Mukiele’s long throw had been flicked on, before Chemsdine Talbi’s (£5.0m) low cross was turned into his own net by Ladislav Krejci (£4.5m).
Tactically, Dan Ballard’s (£4.6m) return to the starting XI saw Mukiele move to right-back, with Hume switching flanks to play on the left of the back four.
And with Reinildo Mandava (£4.0m) now free from suspension, Le Bris certainly has plenty of defensive options at his disposal.
“It wasn’t a new option because Trai played as a left-back last season, and probably before that too. Ballard deserved to play, and showed good qualities, especially against a strong striker like Strand Larsen. The balance was positive, and I think this back four showed good qualities. It was important to switch to a back five at the end, and we have different profiles and different options that allow us to do that. That kind of defensive flexibility is important.” – Regis Le Bris
As for Mukiele, he claimed 17 points in total, thanks to his goal, a clean sheet, defensive contribution (DefCon) points and the maximum bonus.
He is now just one point behind teammate Omar Alderete (£4.1m), who recovered from a knock to start, in the FPL defender rankings, despite having played 134 minutes fewer.
“He has really good energy. He is a good player with a specific profile. He always shows this energy to go forward. Sometimes we have to manage that energy.” – Regis Le Bris on Nordi Mukiele
Further forward, Granit Xhaka (£5.0m) dictated the tempo from the base of Sunderland’s midfield and earned DefCon points for the fifth time in eight matches (62.5% success rate).
With 101 in total, he is now only one DefCon shy of midfield leader Moises Caicedo (£5.8m).
Above: Midfielders sorted by defensive contributions in 2025/26
IN-FORM SUNDERLAND… BUT HAS THE BOAT SAILED?
Sunderland’s win on Saturday continues their fine start to the season – they have yet to lose at the Stadium of Light, winning three of their four home encounters.
They’ve also kept four clean sheets overall – the joint-third-most of any team.
“… we defended together, showed this togetherness again, this ability to suffer together, and get this clean sheet, which is positive.” – Regis Le Bris
Robin Roefs (£4.6m) didn’t have too many saves to make against Wolves, yet he played his part, bringing his points total to 48, which is at least five more than any other goalkeeper.
Fantasy investment may still come his way, although many may feel that the boat will have sailed, given the fixtures.
Sunderland host Everton at the start of November, but over the next eight Gameweeks, sit bottom of the Fixture Ticker.
PEREIRA ON STRAND LARSEN’S FITNESS
Winless Wolves remain rooted to the foot of the table, having failed to score in four of their eight matches so far.
While better after half-time at the Stadium of Light, they struggled to break down a resolute Sunderland defence, generating just 0.78 expected goals (xG), whilst failing to create a single big chance.
It means Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.4m) is yet to score a Premier League goal this season, as he continues to play with an injury.
“The problem of your Jorgen is he’s not working every day, in the last weeks he worked one or two times in the week, and it is difficult to get at his best level, because he cannot have two, three training sessions in a row, because he needs to control the pain on the tendon.
“But, this is a moment to forget the pain and he’s trying to help. He’s not the Jorgen I saw last season, pressing everybody, now he is struggling in the pressing, struggling to do he wants to do, to attack the space, but he’s trying. I need to defend him because he’s working not at the 100 per cent.” – Vitor Pereira on Jorgen Strand Larsen
Despite his own goal, it’s also worth noting that £4.5m defender Krejci produced another two shots at the Stadium of Light.
Since making his first league start in Gameweek 4, he’s now combined five goal attempts with four chances created.
