Michael Beale hailed the togetherness of his Sunderland squad after the Black Cats put a “difficult few weeks” behind them with a much-needed 3-1 win against Stoke at the Stadium of Light.
Beale was under-fire after three straight defeats in all competitions and his problems deepened ahead of Saturday’s Championship game when Sunderland released a club statement claiming key midfielder Alex Pritchard had made himself unavailable for selection and “expressed his desire to leave with immediate effect”.
But the Black Cats managed to put those troubles to one side and are now only outside the play-off places on goal difference after an impressive home victory against the Potters.
Chelsea loanee Mason Burstow scored his first goal of the season before Abdoullah Ba – who replaced Pritchard in the team – added a second after the break. Midfielder Pierre Ekwah scored Sunderland’s third before Stoke managed a consolation through a Jenson Seelt own-goal.
“I’m delighted with the players and for them,” said Beale.
“The work ethic of the boys and togetherness behind the scenes, it’s been a difficult few weeks with the last two or three results, but it was a really good win today.
“It’s been an interesting start to (my time at) the club, hasn’t it? There’s a lot of emotion.
“I’m all in for the club. I want to be here for the long term and it’s important that my team and our team go on the pitch and put in performances that fans can get behind.
“Today they did. It’s one performance, we want to build on it.”
Pritchard’s Sunderland contract is due to expire in the summer but the midfielder might have played his last game for the club.
Beale said: “It’s been ongoing to be honest, not just the last 24 hours. He’s a boy who is coming up to the end of his contract and he’s been offered one, I think mentally it has got a bit much for him. Let’s keep the focus on the players who played today.”
Beale wants to sign a striker before Thursday’s transfer deadline but is hoping Burstow can build on his first Sunderland goal.
He said: “I’m delighted for Mason tonight and let’s hope it’s a chance for him now to really kick on.”
Steven Schumacher enjoyed a five-match unbeaten run after leaving Plymouth to take charge of Stoke but the Potters have now lost two games on the bounce and remain 19th in the Championship.
“I felt we played well, controlled large parts of the game and got into some really good areas and created loads of big chances but weren’t clinical enough,” said Schumacher.
“We haven’t got that belief in the final third. To miss the target as we did today is unacceptable and Sunderland punished us with their moments and their quality players.
“To have 37 shots in the last two games – and big opportunities – to not work the keeper as often as we are is just not good enough. And you’re not going to win games at this level like that.
“We had big chances before all three of their goals. It’s disappointing and frustrating but we have to keep going.”
Everyone wants to beat Leverkusen, says Alonso ahead of Frankfurt clash
Bayer Leverkusen continue to edge towards a remarkable unbeaten season and Xabi Alonso acknowledged every club wants to put that run to an end.
The newly-crowned Bundesliga champions moved a step closer to a treble after beating Roma 2-0 away in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday.
Alonso's side have also reached the DFB-Pokal final against Kaiserslautern as their extraordinary 47-game unbeaten run continues across all competitions.
Leverkusen, who ended Bayern Munich's 11-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga title to secure their first trophy since 1993, travel to sixth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
"We want to stay unbeaten and we know every week it gets tougher. Everyone wants to beat us," Alonso told reporters.
"It hasn't been easy in Frankfurt in recent years, they've always a tough opponent with a flexible system of play. We don't have much time to prepare."
The 42-year-old Spaniard will be watching the Frankfurt game from the stands after receiving his fourth yellow card of the season during his side's 2-2 home draw with Stuttgart last week.
"You can see the game better from the stands and I can communicate with the bench," he said.
"I will miss the direct contact with the team during the game but the players are intelligent enough to decide situations individually on the pitch."
Saudi Pro League: Mahrez and Firmino on target as Al-Ahli tighten grip on third place
Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino were both on target as Al-Ahli tightened their grip on third place in the Saudi Pro League table with a 4-1 win over Damac on Thursday.
Matthias Jaissle's team were four goals up within just 25 minutes as Damac folded, Ziyad Al Johani and Feras Al Brikan netting their first two before Franck Kessie was felled by Dhari Al Anazi for a penalty, converted by Mahrez.
Firmino then tapped home a fourth after being teed up by former Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin on the break, but Al-Ahli took their foot off the gas from there, Domagoj Antolic's second-half consolation rounding off the scoring.
Elsewhere, 10-man Al-Riyadh scored two stoppage-time draws to earn a dramatic 2-2 draw with Al-Fateh in Al-Mubarraz.
Goals from Djaniny and former Columbus Crew star Lucas Zelarayan put Slaven Bilic's hosts on the brink of victory, with Al-Riyadh playing almost half the game a player down after Khalid Al Shuwayyi's 54th-minute red card.
An astonishing collapse denied them, however, with Mohammed Al Shwirekh halving the arrears one minute into stoppage time before Didier Ndong headed in a left-wing cross three minutes later.
Thursday's other game saw Al-Hazm and Al-Akhdoud play out a goalless draw, keeping the hosts bottom of the table while Al-Akhdoud inched two points clear of the relegation zone.
Will Still leaves Reims job with immediate effect
Will Still has left his role as Reims head coach with immediate effect, the Ligue 1 club announced on Thursday.
Still took over as Reims boss – initially on an interim basis – after Oscar Garcia was sacked in October 2022 and went unbeaten through his first 19 league games at the helm.
The 31-year-old was eventually handed the role on a permanent basis and led Reims to an 11th-placed finish in Ligue 1 in 2022-23, with his lack of a UEFA Pro Licence causing the club to be fined €25,000 per match until he began the course.
Reims are currently 11th in Ligue 1 again, though they are winless in their last five games and have lost each of their last three.
In a statement, the club said: "Following a meeting this morning between president Jean-Pierre Caillot, general manager Mathieu Lacour and head coach Will Still, it was mutually agreed that the two parties would not continue the sporting adventure together next season.
"In order to allow Reims to confidently look forward to the next year, it was also decided that Will Still and his deputy Nicolas Still would step down from their respective functions as of today."
Still was linked with the Sunderland job earlier this season and said in February that he would be open to joining an "ambitious" Championship club.
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