Four years ago, Sunderland were grinding it out in League One. Now, midfielder Enzo Le Fee is pulling on a Spider-Man mask to celebrate a crucial win that’s put them one step away from European football. That’s not hyperbole—that’s the actual trajectory of a club that’s rewritten its own narrative in the span of a season.
Le Fee’s 3-1 victory over Everton at Goodison Park on May 17, 2026, wasn’t just another Premier League result. It was a statement. Sunderland came from behind after Merlin Roehl’s first-half goal had Everton in control. Brian Brobbey sparked the comeback, Le Fee added the go-ahead goal with nine minutes remaining, and substitute Wilson Isidor sealed it in added time. But it was Le Fee’s celebration—a quick dash to the corner flag, mask in hand, channeling his childhood hero—that captured the essence of what’s happening at the Stadium of Light. This team isn’t just competing. They’re having the time of their lives doing it.
The numbers tell a remarkable story. Sunderland sit ninth on 51 points, just one behind Brentford and two off Brighton and Hove Albion heading into the final day. An eighth-place finish earns Conference League football. Seventh gets them Europa League. Either would be extraordinary for a side that came up through the playoffs and didn’t exist in the top division just years ago. Manager Regis Le Bris said it plainly after the match: we’re becoming ambitious. It’s reality now.
What makes this even more striking is Sunderland’s European drought. Their last continental adventure ended in a second-round Cup Winners’Cup exit in 1973—over 50 years ago. A win at home to Chelsea next weekend could bring that wait to an end in the most unexpected, exhilarating way possible. Le Fee knows what’s at stake. He also knows his teammates, the ones who’ve been there since the beginning of the season, have the mentality to get it done.“The family we have had since the beginning of the season,”he called them. That’s not just talk when you’re one match away from rewriting club history.
The results elsewhere helped too. Brighton’s loss to Leeds United and Brentford’s draw with Crystal Palace kept the door open. But Sunderland had to do their part, and they did it with style—literally donning superhero masks and turning a comeback into theater. In a season full of underdog moments, this might be the most perfectly encapsulated one yet.
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
