Sunderland drew 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.
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Former Sunderland defenders Matthew Kilgallon and Wes Brown have heaped praise on the Black Cats following their impressive return to life in the Premier League.
A 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon leaves Regis Le Bris’ side eighth in the top flight table, four points off the top four, and having now played every other side in the division, the newly promoted club have earned positive results against the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United, amongst others.
And taking all of their recent work into account, both Kilgallon and Brown have hailed Sunderland for their stellar efforts this term.
What have Matthew Kilgallon and Wes Brown said about Sunderland?
Speaking to Stadium Astro, when asked how impressed he had been with his former club of late, Kilgallon said: “Absolutely outstanding, and brilliant for the city as well. Football up there is absolutely massive and I’m so happy for them. I loved my time at Sunderland, it was great.
“Some of the football they are playing, and what they've made the Stadium of Light, they've made it a real place to go where people are struggling. They don't want to go there, do they? Some of the football they're playing is fantastic, the recruitment of the players they've brought in, I mean, they found some gems there, haven't they? And lads that have played in the Championship have stepped up into that Premier League, they're playing a great way.”
He added: “[Granit] Xhaka, what a signing he's been. I'm sure people thought, ‘Oh, is he too old, can he still do it?’. He has been absolutely brilliant for Sunderland in that centre mid and I think he's just set a standard and he's been a real leader on and off the pitch. I think all the lads are learning from him and have followed his ways, and they just look a real, real good team.”
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For his part, Brown agreed wholeheartedly with his fellow pundit, replying: “I think when they first started, obviously, when they got promoted beginning of this season, you're just hoping they get some points on the board and they go from there, but it is much bigger than that. The togetherness of the team, they've made it very difficult playing at home, and then they've took a step forward, where they're beating some of the bigger teams and the crowd’s behind them, and now they've got this momentum going.
“I think, like what Matt said, Xhaka has been massive, just controlling them all and making everything feel comfortable, and really digging in hard when it needs to be. But there's always been a spirit in Sunderland where if you work hard you get the reward, and they've definitely been doing that this season with some great quality as well. You're looking back at the first half of the season, and you've got to say, they've been the exceptional team of the season for me.”