Stadium is starting to feel like a fortress again
They are winning all kinds of games, and are showing an utterly ruthless streak.
It’s worth considering, too, thateveniftheyhadnotbeenat their fluent best, Sunderland again had complete defensive control of the game.
Bristol Rovers registered just one shot on target and Jon McLaughlin was never troubledashekepthiseighthclean sheet in nine games.
It’s a remarkable record and one in which luck has not played much of a part.
The injury to Bailey Wright came as a huge blow this week but as expected, Alim Ozturk slotted in with ease and aside from a little uncertainty in the very opening stages, Sunderland were resolute.
Parkinson said the Turk had been ‘flawless’, making the right decisions at the right time.
It also sums up just how comfortable the team are in their current structure.
The Black Cats boss celebrated the opening goal wildly and could not hide his delight afterwards.Rovershadleftthe door open just slightly as they went on the attack, and Sunderland pounced.
Just four touches took the ballfromjustinsidetheRovers half to the back of the net.
Wyke and Maguire linked up superbly and the composure from Gooch, who had a frustrating afternoon up until that moment, was excellent.
What pleased Parkinson most was the run from Gooch.
So much of his work with the attacking midfielders has been in encouraging them to ‘think like number nines’.
He knows that both Gooch and Maguire have an ability so score spectacular strikes but thedownsidecanoftenbethat their instinct is then to hover on the edge of the box and wait for a cutback.
Low crosses are aplenty with the way Sunderland are playingatthemomentandthis is the kind of goal he wants to see more of.
Within moments of that strike, it was game over.
Wyke’s effort was not without controversy, Garner adamant that play should have been stopped after his two centre-halves clashed heads.
Sunderland now had complete control and a jubilant atmosphere took hold in a Stadium that is transformed.
Nothing summed that up better than the chants that began in the Roker End as the Black Cats pushed for a third goal.
There had been strains at theKassamStadiumaweekbefore as Sunderland held on for three crucial points, but now there was no mistaking the vocal support for a manager who hadenduredsomelonelyafternoonsinthedug-outbeforethe turn of the year.
The Sunderland boss took plenty of satisfaction in yielding to the calls for a wave, and there was an extra thumbs up for good measure.
On home turf the Black Cats have taken 16 points from a possible 18 in 2020. They have scored 14 and conceded just one.
Parkinson’sexplanationfor theupturninmoodandperformance is simple.
For him, it is recognition for a side playing with intensity and leaving everything out on the pitch.
Games against Fleetwood Town and Coventry City loom large, an acid test of Sunderland’s automatic promotion ambitions. It’s worth dwelling onandrelishingthefactthatat thecrunchpointoftheseason, theStadiumofLightisstarting to feel like something of a fortress again.