Wilson Isidor scored again at the Stadium of Light as 10-man Sunderland earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.

Unai Emery’s side held a numerical advantage from the 33rd minute after Reinildo Mandava was sent off for seemingly kicking out at Matty Cash.

It was Cash who ended Villa’s goalless start to the Premier League campaign in style, beating Robin Roefs with a rasping long-range effort in the 67th minute, though Sunderland’s goalkeeper might have done better.

But Isidor popped up with another important goal for Sunderland, and a late miss from Ollie Watkins ensured the Black Cats remain unbeaten across their first three home league games.

Regis Le Bris’ side move up to seventh on eight points, while Villa, who sit 18th, still wait for a first win of the season.

How the match unfolded

Sunderland started brightly, but Villa’s Evann Guessand came close to an opener as his low strike was smothered by Roefs, who also denied an offside Watkins on the follow-up.

Yet Sunderland’s task was made harder when Reinildo was shown a straight red card for violent conduct after apparently flicking out at Cash with his studs.

Sunderland did not let their disadvantage slow them down, though, with Omar Alderete’s diving header rattling the crossbar shortly after half-time.

Villa, though, finally ended their wait for a league goal as Cash’s swerving strike proved too powerful for Roefs, whose attempted punch merely helped the ball into the back of the net down the middle of the goal.

Sunderland, though, replied within eight minutes, as the in-form Isidor guided a crisp finish from Granit Xhaka’s cushioned header beyond Emiliano Martinez.

Watkins could have done better when latching onto a brilliant Jadon Sancho cross late on, as Villa’s frustrating start to 2025/26 rolled on.

Sunderland show resilience on home soil

Sunderland’s home form has been integral to their bright start to the season, and they will have felt confident against a blunted Villa side.

They were on the front foot from the first whistle, with Isidor putting the visitors under early pressure, though without forcing Martinez into any real action.

It looked like the game could get away from them in the 33rd minute, as a frustrated Reinildo reacted poorly after a shove from Cash, giving Sunderland a mountain to climb.

But Le Bris was clearly keen not to sit back and try and just hold on for a point, leading to an early flurry of chances in the second half, which almost saw Sunderland benefit from two goalmouth scrambles, and they did not let their heads drop when Roefs was beaten at the other end.

Villa failed to clear their lines after Sunderland played their way out from a goal-kick, and Isidor cropped up with another vital intervention by peeling off the back of his marker and timing his run perfectly to poke home.

Isidor has now scored in all three of Sunderland’s home league matches, and no team will fancy a trip to the Stadium of Light as it stands, though the Black Cats are on the road next week when they face Nottingham Forest. 

Chances go begging for Villa

Not only did Villa head to the Stadium of Light needing their first win of the season, they were also in search of a first Premier League goal.

Emery’s team managed to tick one of those boxes, but the failure to go on and win against 10 men after taking the lead will surely frustrate the Spaniard.

Harvey Elliott, who scored Villa’s first goal of the campaign in all competitions by netting against Brentford in the EFL Cup in midweek, did not start here, as Emery reverted to the tried and tested formula of Morgan Rogers and Watkins.

Villa struggled to hit the ground running, though, with their first shot coming just before the half-hour mark – Guessand spinning brilliantly into space only to fire straight at Roefs.

Though they started to assert themselves after the red card, Villa struggled to test Sunderland’s goalkeeper, with their best chance at the end of the first half blazed over the crossbar by an overeager Emiliano Buendia.

They rode out the storm at the start of the second half, and with the introductions of Elliott and Ian Maatsen, Villa started to gain some control in the final third.

It was a defender who ultimately proved decisive for them in front of goal, and Cash could have had the final say too, given he was lingering behind Watkins as the England forward stretched to meet that Sancho cross in the closing stages.

Villa will hope to put their domestic concerns to one side on Thursday, as they start their UEFA Europa League campaign by hosting Bologna.