The club was anchored at the bottom of the table less than a month ago, having lost seven of its previous eight games. It faced daunting trips to Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United. Relegation was practically inevitable.
Many of Sunderland’s fans began to lose faith at that point. In truth, many of us had months earlier written off the team’s chances.
“Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United, all away from home. The six hardest games of Sunderland’s season are all coming in their last 13 games,” some fool said on this website back in February.
“There is no way out of that hole. Sunderland should start planning for next season, which they will definitely be spending in the Championship.”
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Fast forward to Sunderland’s match against West Bromwich Albion this morning. Goals from Jamie Colback and Fabio Borini gave the Black Cats a 2-0 victory, officially guaranteeing them a place in the Premier League next season.
It was Sunderland’s fourth consecutive victory, marking the club’s best EPL winning streak in 14 years. Since mid-April, the Black Cats have drawn with City at the Etihad, beaten United at Old Trafford and shattered Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge.
Those are stupendous results against some of the world’s most formidable teams, and without them, Sunderland would still be sitting in the relegation zone.
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“It’s been difficult, but it’s been incredible. For moments it looked like destiny that we’d go down,” Sunderland’s manager, Gus Poyet, said this morning.
“I’ve said it a few times, we needed a miracle. No doubt about it, I believe in them now. It’s probably one of the best days of my life today.”
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