Sunderland lead the charge as promoted teams continue to defy relegation predictions

Fearless Sunderland are enjoying the best start to a season by a promoted team in more than a decade after Saturday’s shock 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge catapulted them briefly into second spot in the English Premier League.

The away win — capped by a stoppage-time strike from substitute Chemsdine Talbi after they had fallen behind to an early Alejandro Garnacho goal for the Blues — has sent shockwaves through the division.

It has also made a mockery of pre-season predictions that all three promoted teams would drop straight back down to the Championship, as had been the case in the past two seasons.

Fellow promoted side Burnley are in 16th place after their dramatic 3-2 win over bottom club Wolves on Sunday, courtesy of a late winner by Bafana star Lyle Foster, while Leeds are one spot above them on their return to the English top flight.

Yet, it is the form of Regis Le Bris’s Black Cats that has caught everyone by surprise, their 17 points leaving them above the likes of champions Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City after nine games, and just five points behind leaders Arsenal following Sunday’s fixtures.

His side has combined tactical discipline with a high-energy pressing game, with veteran midfielder Grant Xaka’s signing regarded as a masterstroke, blending perfectly with the youthful addition of Habib Diarra and the proven EPL experience of Brighton winger Simon Adingra.

Their remarkable run is reminiscent of Nottingham Forest’s performance last season, though Forest struggled to repeat those heroics in a turbulent campaign.

Mindful, no doubt, that there is still a long way to go in the season, Le Bris kept his feet on the ground in his post-match interview.

“It’s a good performance, especially after the early goal,” he told Reuters. “We won three points. We are happy with the way we played. It is important to grab this opportunity when possible.”

He stressed that survival is still the ultimate goal.

“Our target remains exactly the same – we want to reach as soon as possible the target of 40 points,” Le Bris told reporters. “It’s important to start well because it creates belief and confidence.”

Bournemouth, meanwhile, continued their surprise run when their 2-0 win over the beleaguered Forest took them above Sunderland into second spot in a weekend full of drama, before Manchester City leapfrogged both with a second-half recovery against Aston Villa.

It was a weekend to forget for Arne Slot’s champions as their winless league run was extended to a record four losses in a row with Saturday’s defeat at Brentford. Ruben Amorim, meanwhile, won three in a row for the first time, as his Red Devils revival project continues to gather pace.

The Black Cats’ next five matches include tricky fixtures against log-leading Arsenal, high-flying Bournemouth, and Liverpool. But their electric start to the season has meant they can approach those games with freedom — almost like a free hit — and a few more surprises are surely on the cards.