Le Bliss handed gold to Sunderland’s own Anthony Gordon

Sunderland took a point from Newcastle United at the weekend. Well, in any case they got one more point against Newcastle.

Yes, the Black Cats recorded a Tyne Wear derby double against their bitter rivals on their return to the Premier League, and the win at St James’ Park was doubly sweet in more ways than one. Regis Le Bris’ team overtook Eddie Howe’s team and took 11th place in the standings.

Sunderland need six points from seven games to surpass their modern-day Premier League record of 48 points, a testament to the quality of the team and understanding of a system that has not felt the effects of relegation all season.

Anthony Gordon can make all the mean comments he wants, but the truth is this is a special group of football players.

Gordon scored the opening goal against Tyneside last weekend, but ended up in the losing side. The frustration of losing after being sent out of the Champions League by Barcelona.

It was a humiliating defeat, but Sunderland stole the spoils in their own backyard. And that may sting even more, especially considering England’s post-match comments.

“The frustrating thing is, in my opinion, they’re not a very good team compared to us. We shouldn’t lose to them,” Gordon said after the game.

Gordon’s perspective does not take into account one thing: unity. Le Blis created a balanced and harmonious team, led by Granit Xhaka, with Robin Rufus as the stopper between the sticks and Brian Brobbey a force of nature up front.

The Magpies team is more expensive. They have a team that has won silver medals over the past few years and played multiple campaigns in the Champions League.

But that doesn’t mean they have a better team. Gordon, for example, is valued at £100m and has attracted interest from the likes of Liverpool since moving to St James’ Park, but Sunderland have a good, albeit young, squad and they may have their own version of a dynamic forward.

Sunderland already have their own Gordon

Sunderland went from strength to strength in Le Bris’ system, with the Frenchman taking them to the Premier League and establishing them as a competitive side to earn a ticket to Europe (although that seems unlikely).

Sunderland’s summer transfer plan was extensive, but it was not a shotgun approach and every recruit brought to the Stadium of Light played their part.

Kemsuddin Talbi isn’t at the top of that list, but the 20-year-old winger is starting to come into his own and make a bigger impact in the Premier League, with journalist Phil Smith saying he has “really grown into the Sunderland shirt”.

Talbi, of course, joined from Club Brugge for a hefty £20m but has only scored four goals so far and assisted a further two.

There’s no question Talvi needs to do more on and off the ball, but he’s an electric, front-footed winger who could really materialize as Sunderland’s version of Gordon, sharing technical traits with the Three Lions and similarities to his late start at the club.

Gordon joined Newcastle from Everton in January 2023 for £45 million, but his high price tag did not initially pay off, scoring just one goal in his debut half-season in the North East.

But Gordon’s quality has since propelled him into the Premier League’s elite ranks, and there is a sense that the same could happen with Talbi, who is already making waves within Le Bris’ squad, although he is yet to reach his full potential as a direct winger.

It remains to be seen whether Sunderland will end the season ahead of Newcastle, but with a special talent like Talbi starting to come into his own, there is no doubt that this team can close the gap on their troublesome neighbors – if they haven’t already done so.