It’s bad luck for Premier League rivals when fourth-placed Black Cats cross their path

Heading into the 2025-26 season, there were simmering worries that the growing gulf between the English Premier League and Championship could be cemented with a third straight campaign where all three promoted teams go back down.

But with just under a third of the season lapsed, last term’s second-tier runners-up Burnley sit just outside the drop zone on 10 points from 11 matches, with champions Leeds United even better positioned one place above them in 16th on 11 points.

But it is the lowest-placed of the promoted brigade, Sunderland, who are making the biggest impression so far.

With 19 points from 11 matches, they are fourth, just three points adrift from second-placed Manchester City.

For context, the Black Cats have three points fewer than last campaign’s three promoted teams – Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton – combined at the same stage last term.

Rewind back to 2023-24 and the promoted clubs – Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United – had a combined 14 points, five fewer than Sunderland now.

On Nov 8, the Black Cats

punctured the previously impregnable Arsenal defence twice in a 2-2 draw

, becoming the first team in nine matches to find the net against the league leaders, while also ending the Gunners’ 10-match winning streak in all competitions.

It was also the first time Mikel Arteta’s side had conceded more than once this season, having let in just three goals in 16 matches in all competitions before travelling to the Stadium of Light.

There, Brian Brobbey netted a 94th-minute equaliser to take Sunderland’s tally of goals after the 90th minute to five in 11 league games – more than any other Premier League side.

Former Sunderland and England striker Darren Bent told the BBC: “They never stopped trying, asking questions of Arsenal. They kept making Arsenal defend and when the chance came, they took it.”

Northern Irish centre-back Dan Ballard had earlier ended Arsenal’s run of 812 minutes without conceding when he gave Sunderland a first-half lead, just reward for a player who has quietly but seamlessly made the step up from the second tier.

“Ballard epitomised everything Sunderland have done so well, with his aggression and stopping Arsenal play,” said the Premier League’s record goalscorer Alan Shearer.

“They are really, really tough to play against and there were so many examples of him and his team putting their bodies in the line. Arsenal will not have many tougher games than that this season.”

Sunderland have yet to lose at the Stadium of Light since returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2016-17.

Former Arsenal and England attacker Theo Walcott said on the BBC: “Sunderland went physical today... They were well organised and I didn’t think they’d be able to keep it up for 90 minutes.

“There’s a reason why Sunderland will be fine in this league. The Stadium of Light is not an easy place to play football. It was the most rattled I’ve seen (Arsenal centre-backs) Gabriel (Magalhaes) and William Saliba this season.”

Sunderland’s start to life back in the big time is even more impressive considering their shaky end to life in the Championship.

They lost their last five games to finish fourth heading into the play-offs. Then they were largely second best in both rounds, against Coventry City in the semi-finals and then Sheffield United at Wembley.

Both in the semi-final, second leg and the play-off final, they needed added-time winners to prevail.

In the off-season, they lost their home-grown Wembley hero Tom Watson, 19, and Championship Young Player of the Season Jobe Bellingham, 20, to Brighton & Hove Albion and Borussia Dortmund respectively.

The club proceeded to revamp the entire squad, bringing in 13 players, many of them young, with few having Premier League experience. They include midfielder Habib Diarra, 21, winger Chemsdine Talbi, 20, midfielder Noah Sadiki, 20, and goalkeeper Robin Roefs, 22.

Only wingers Simon Adingra, Bertrand Traore and back-up fullback Arthur Masuaku, who has featured in just three league matches, have tasted the English top flight.

The exception is 33-year-old former Arsenal skipper Granit Xhaka.

While Sunderland have had several transfer successes, none have been as instrumental as the Swiss midfielder, who arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for £13 million (S$22.3 million).

Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports earlier in November: “He must be the signing of the season.

“When you think of someone who’s influential on their team, I’ve been calling Manchester City the Erling Haaland team, but is there anyone right now in the Premier League having a bigger influence on their club than Granit Xhaka? There can’t be.”

BBC statistics from the end of October show Xhaka ranks first for chances created (11), successful passes (397), passes into the box (49), touches (629), duels won (56) and possession won (43). He is also top of the class when it comes to distance covered, 100.83km, just ahead of midfield partner Sadiki (100.14km), according to Opta.

But Xhaka is not just orchestrating proceedings from the middle of the pitch, he is setting standards off it.

Said Sunderland manager Regis le Bris: “Granit is the captain who sets the standards every day. On the pitch, he is a very good footballer. He enjoys driving the squad. He’s like a second coach on the pitch.”

Teammate Enzo le Fee, meanwhile, told Stadium Astro that Xhaka is “the best captain I had in my life”. The French playmaker added: “He tries to take care of everybody. He tries to give us the best environment. He changed a lot of things here in Sunderland.”

Also changing things at Sunderland is le Bris, whose favoured starting line-up features just four players who were regulars last season – Ballard, fullback Trai Hume, le Fee and forward Wilson Isidor.

While the Black Cats’ £161 million investment is a record for a promoted side, creating a cohesive team from that upheaval is not straightforward, as champions Liverpool have shown after breaking Premier League spending records with an outlay of nearly £450 million.

While a veritable veteran in Arne Slot, who has reached major finals or won trophies in each of the last four seasons, struggles; managerial novice le Bris seems to be thriving at the moment.

Before arriving in the north-east of England last season, the 49-year-old le Bris had just two campaigns of senior top-flight coaching on his CV, the second of which saw his Lorient side relegated from Ligue 1.

Former Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick, who came up against le Bris in the Championship for the 2024-25 season, said on the BBC after Sunderland beat Chelsea 2-1 on Oct 25: “I’m hugely impressed. I think there’s so many positives to look at. The biggest one for me is the way they came into the league by the play-offs – and which kind of puts you back three or four weeks.

“Today they had four players who were from the team last season, so it’s a big change from a coaching perspective... to implement that so quickly. And to accumulate the points they’ve got, it’s an unbelievable achievement.”

For Premier League rivals, it is proving bad luck when the Black Cats cross their path.