REGIS LE BRIS was delighted with the way his Sunderland side handled two different versions of Hull City as they returned to the top of the Championship table.

In the first half of today’s game at the MKM Stadium, the Black Cats found themselves encountering a Hull side who were happy to sit deep and allow their opponents to dominate possession.

However, after the break, Hull’s players became much keener to hold on to the ball themselves and looked to pin Sunderland’s defenders and midfielders back inside their own half.

Le Bris’ side successfully dealt with both approaches, with Wilson Isidor’s second-half strike securing a third away win of the season.

“It's difficult to win away,” said the Sunderland boss. “In this game, we had two different scenarios. In the first half, we dominated the ball, and the problem was to create in the final third, especially from the side and then to deal with their counter-attacks.

“We didn't expect this, we thought it would be a different game. We tried to find a way through but maybe we could cross earlier, improve some positions to deal with the break.

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“We solved it at half-time, but then the scenario was different, they kept the ball as they liked to do. This is what we were prepared for, and we did well.

“The flow of the game was for them for six, seven minutes and they missed a big chance (when Chris Bedia hit the post). Then we were prepared to use our counter because this is a strength for us, and Wilson made the difference.”

Having only been appointed in the summer, Le Bris is still learning about the way in which his players deal with specific situations that arise during matches.

As a young squad, Sunderland’s players are learning on the job, and their boss is delighted with the way in which they are taking instructions on board and implementing them on the pitch.

“We spoke a lot about the way of managing the momentum of the game because we are still a young team and, sometimes, we want to always attack without taking into account the way the game is developing,” said Le Bris.

“In this game, we felt we wanted to keep the ball, face the pressure and we controlled the game better than we have done before away from home. I think the team is getting better from our experiences, some elements of our game are better than before.”