Why 'perfect' Jobe header left Sunderland boss excited for what's to come

Wilson Isidor's brilliant volley got the headlines, but for Sunderland coach Regis Le Bris it was Jobe's opener that was most 'interesting'.

Jobe Bellingham and Sunderland celebrate / IMAGO / PA Images

Regis Le Bris felt Jobe Bellingham’s outstanding opener for Sunderland against Watford was proof that his tactics are starting to bed in among the squad.

Jobe provided the brilliant headed finish to a flowing Sunderland move to open the scoring in the 2-0 win over Oxford following some fine work by Patrick Roberts and Trai Hume on the right.

It was a win that took the Black Cats five points clear of Leeds and Burnley at the top of the Championship table – and Le Bris believes it provided evidence that his side are evolving too.

“The final third can be difficult to break,” Le Bris said. “When you build a new game model and culture for a team, the final layer in the game is the hardest to build.

“It’s not perfect, but Jobe’s goal was very interesting because we want to get into the box like that, to receive that kind of cross. The timing was perfect, and this layer of progression in our game model is now in progress.”

The win over Oxford was Sunderland’s third in six days with the other coming at Hull and Luton.

All three games provided very different tests for the Black Cats, with them first having to deal with Hull’s counterattacking, then Luton’s raw physicality, and then find a way to break down a low block.

And, for Le Bris, the fact his side were able to find solutions for all three was the most pleasing thing of all.

“It has been a tough week, and it wasn’t easy to manage this game because it was the third one in six days,” he said.

“I think we had good control of the game, especially during the first half, and we could have scored one or two more goals to be more comfortable in the second half.

“But we also needed to stay consistent right to the end, and I think the way we played is good for the progress of the team. I am happy because the players did well in terms of the way they managed the game to win. I think we deserved to win the game.”