'Very proud - and tired!' - Regis Le Bris gives verdict on huge Sunderland win

Sunderland battled to a 2-1 win at Luton, and the manner of it really resonated with head coach Regis Le Bris.

Regis Le Bris - Sunderland head coach / IMAGO / PA Images

Regis Le Bris described himself as ‘proud’ but ‘tired’ after Sunderland produced a brilliant battling performance to win at Luton.

Goals from Chris Rigg and Romaine Mundle handed the Black Cats a 2-1 win, and they now sit three points clear at the top of the Championship table.

It was the kind of game that Sunderland would have unquestionably been bullied out of in recent years, but they showed a lot of maturity to grind out what could be a big three points.

Speaking after the game, Le Bris said: “I'm delighted, and tired!

“After Hull, this was the opposite. It was a strong style of play, very difficult to face. Direct play, second balls, strong counter pressing and so on. They played very well this kind of football, it's very hard to escape this kind of pressure.

“We started well and after, we struggled to apply pressure to their back three. We changed our shape and it was better. We conceded a lot of set plays and did well in these phases because they are very strong from these.

“In the second half, we knew with their man-for-man marking we would have space to create chances. Even after conceding we kept this idea, and I'm very proud of the team spirit and the behaviour of the fans - we were very strong and they were behind us.

“It's a good win, a strong battle. To manage these different styles of play in just a few days, this is good news for us.”

Defender Chris Mepham was another standout performer for Sunderland, and he was vital in combatting Hull’s physical approach.

It didn’t go unnoticed by Le Bris.

“Chris was ready for this battle, I think,” he said. “He wasn't alone, we needed everyone and it's a question of personality, aggressiveness.

“We were clever tactically, both the tactical side of our game and our mentality were good tonight. It's a good performance.”