Dan Neil's PL debut and Chris Rigg's ice cream dream - Moments missed from Sunderland draw vs Aston Villa

Ten-man Sunderland came from behind to draw 1-1 with Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon in a spirited display on home soil.

Reinildo Mandava was shown a straight red card shortly before half time after he was deemed to have kicked out at opposite number Matty Cash, and from there, Regis Le Bris’ side were largely forced to sit back and shut up shop in an effort to maintain parity.

A fairly forgettable first half had passed without much incident until the dismissal in the 34th minute, with Villa going closest to breaking the deadlock via a close-ranged Evann Guessand effort which was brilliantly kept out by Robin Roefs.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Sunderland came out swinging in the second half, and nearly nicked the lead themselves when Omar Alderete crashed a looping header against Emi Martinez’s crossbar. The Black Cats kept up the intensity and defensive work rate to admirable effect, but would eventually come undone when a long distance strike from Cash swerved its way past Roefs.

Regis Le Bris’ men weren’t to go down without a fight, however, and dragged themselves level courtesy of a smartly taken Wilson Isidor strike after a cute Granit Xhaka header found him six yards out.

Here a few of the moments you might have missed from the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon...

Bradley Lowery tribute

Sunday’s match was played in dedication to the Bradley Lowery Foundation’s Cancer Has No Colours campaign. The little man graced the cover of the matchday programme and a flag of his beaming face was unveiled just before kick-off as chants of “One Bradley Lowery” boomed from the Roker End, while the Black Cats will continue to collaborate with the charity across a range of activities, including mascot experiences and player-led initiatives. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the footballing community on Wearside will once again come together to play its part in raising vital funds.

First red card of the campaign

A rush of blood to the head, a moment of madness; whatever you want to call it, Reinildo could have few complaints after he was shown a red card for a perceived kick out at the stomach of Cash partway through the first half. The dismissal was Sunderland’s first of the season, and will likely be followed by a three-game ban.

Major milestone for Chris Rigg

Prior to Sunday afternoon, Rigg had made just two cameo appearances in the Premier League, but following an unexpected injury blow to Habib Diarra, the teenager was thrown in from the beginning against Villa for his first ever Premier League start. The England youth international showed flashes of real quality in the opening exchanges with some typically tidy touches and savvy ideas, but was replaced by Dan Ballard shortly before half time as Sunderland looked to solidify their back line in the aftermath of Reinildo’s sending off. It felt like a cruel end to a special afternoon for the young man.

On a slightly tangential note, if for whatever reason the whole “professional footballer” thing doesn’t work out for Rigg, he at least has an unusual back-up plan in mind. When asked what he would be doing if he wasn’t playing for the Black Cats in an interview for the matchday programme, he responded: “Probably an ice cream man or something”. Fair enough.

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Lorik Cana returns

The popular Albanian was back on Wearside to carry out the half-time raffle draw at the Stadium of Light, and was met with warm acclaim as he made his way out onto the pitch. Come to think of it, he was a sort of proto-Granit Xhaka back in the day, wasn’t he?

Enzo Le Fée and Noah Sadiki’s positional fluidity

After missing last week’s 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace due to a minor injury, Enzo Le Fée returned to the starting XI against Villa on Sunday afternoon, and was nominally deployed out on the left wing. The reality is that his hybrid role encompasses so much more than that wide berth, however, with the Frenchman frequently drifting in-field to occupy a space between the lines behind Isidor.

By a similar metric, Noah Sadiki might line up in the centre of midfield, but he is, in fact, borderline omnipresent. At various points against Villa he popped up on the left wing and at right full-back, and covered just about every blade of grass in between. That kind of positional fluidity is becoming a real hallmark of Sunderland’s tactical approach this season, and it’s pleasing see it develop week on week.

Dan Neil debut

It may have been a fleeting cameo at the end, but Sunday also marked a huge milestone in the career of Dan Neil, who came off the bench in the late stages to make his Premier League debut around five years after making his first team bow against Villa’s U21s. His outing also marked his 199th senior appearance in red and white.

Unai Emery walks off

Understandably frustrated with his side’s inability to capitalise on Sunderland being a man down, Villa boss Unai Emery didn’t even wait to hear the final whistle at the Stadium of Light, shaking Regis Le Bris’ hand and marching off down the tunnel. The Villans are still yet to win in the Premier League this season.

Your next Sunderland read: Regis Le Bris makes Habib Diarra admission and explains what he liked most about Sunderland draw