“To be honest, it was ..” Regis Le Bris makes surprising admission about Sunderland’s play-off win over Coventry City
Sunderland will face Sheffield United in the play-off final after their semi-final aggregate win against Coventry City.
Regis Le Bris’ side beat Coventry 2-1 in the first leg and despite having the lead at the Stadium of Light, spent the majority of the game on the back foot.
In order to gain an upper hand before kick off, Sunderland moved their advertising boards to nullify the long throw-in threat of Milan van Ewijk, who was left in tears after his mistake in the first leg.
Ephron Mason-Clark’s goal ensured the game would go to extra time after a 1-0 win on the night meant a 2-2 aggregate draw.
But, despite the effort of Frank Lampard’s side, Dan Ballard had other ideas in the final seconds of extra time as his headed effort from a corner hit the crossbar and fell the right side of the line for the Black Cats and are now heading to Wembley.
it was a step too far and now Sunderland will be heading to the Championship play-off final, where the daunting task of Sheffield United awaits after they beat Bristol City in the other semi-final.
Regis Le Bris says it was ‘frustrating’ to watch Sunderland performance
Speaking after the game, the Sunderland manager told Sky Sports that even though his side were on the happier side of the dramatic ending, he was frustrated by what he saw from his side throughout the 90 minutes.
He said: “We were probably too nervous for the first part of the game. But in extra-time we played our football and it’s fantastic. Now, just enjoy it. It was a little bit frustrating.
“We knew on the bench that we could play better football but at 1-0 up at home in a semi-final we were in two attitudes [minds]. After the equaliser, we knew now we wanted to score and the game changed.
“They [players and fans] deserve to live [experience] this event and now have a final to play. “
When is the play-off final?
Now that we know the line up for the play-off final, Sunderland and Sheffield United will battle it out for that final Premier League spot on Saturday 24 May 2025 at Wembley Stadium.
At the time of writing, the kick-off time hasn’t been confirmed but it’s almost certain that both teams will sell out the 90,000 capacity venue.
Promotion to the Premier League is worth millions and both sides will be well aware of how high the stakes are in just over a weeks’ time.
