Sunderland delivered one of the most exhilarating performances of their Premier League return, overturning a two-goal deficit to defeat Bournemouth 3–2 — a comeback sealed by Brian Brobbey’s decisive header that kept their unbeaten home record glowing.
The Stadium of Light has become one of the league’s hardest places to visit, and the Black Cats once again rose to the occasion, roaring back from the brink after a chaotic, card-filled contest that saw Bournemouth reduced to ten men in stoppage time.
The optimism surrounding Sunderland’s season evaporated within a brutal opening quarter of an hour. Bournemouth struck first through a messy sequence as Evanilson’s effort cannoned off the bar and dropped kindly for Amine Adli, who reacted quickest to stab the ball in from close range.
Moments later, the stadium fell silent.
On his 50th Bournemouth appearance, Tyler Adams produced a moment straight out of the spectacular, unleashing a sensational strike from the halfway line after spotting goalkeeper Robin Roefs stranded off his line. The looping effort sailed into the empty net, leaving Roefs tangled in the goalmouth and the home crowd stunned.
At 2–0 down, Sunderland’s unbeaten home run looked in grave danger.
But the match flipped when Reinildo was clipped by Alex Scott inside the box, with the referee instantly pointing to the spot.
A prolonged VAR check followed — angles scrutinised, tension rising — yet the original verdict stood.
Enzo Le Fée stepped up with ice-cold confidence and rifled his penalty into the roof of the net, reigniting the Sunderland faithful and injecting belief back into the players.
The comeback had begun.
Sunderland emerged from the break with fire in their boots. Within 60 seconds, parity was restored thanks to a brilliant passage of play orchestrated by Bertrand Traoré and captain Granit Xhaka.
Xhaka’s disguised through-ball split the defence beautifully, releasing Traoré, who buried a composed low finish for his first goal in Sunderland colours.
With the momentum surging, the hosts continued to press. And just ten minutes after being introduced from the bench, Brian Brobbey climbed highest from a corner, steering a powerful header beyond Neto and completing a remarkable turnaround.
The stadium exploded. Bournemouth looked shell-shocked.
But the drama didn’t stop at the goals.
A storm of yellow cards swept through the match — ten for players alone, with more shown to the Bournemouth bench and even manager Andoni Iraola.
And in the dying minutes of a lengthy stoppage period, Bournemouth’s afternoon worsened. Lewis Cook was sent off for a swinging elbow that caught Reinildo, earning him a straight red and capping a disastrous spell of discipline for the visitors.
The defeat was costly beyond the scoreline. Bournemouth will be without three key players for their next match against Everton, and their impressive early-season form has now dissolved into a winless run through November, dropping them to ninth place.
Sunderland’s victory propels them into the top four, strengthening their unexpected bid to disrupt the Premier League hierarchy.
Their resilience, home support and blistering second-half response underline once more that the Stadium of Light is fast becoming a fortress — and that the Black Cats are no longer just a feel-good story, but a genuine force.
