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The month of August was not kind to Sunderland, losing 1-0 to West Brom with only four shots taken throughout the game. However, after the defeat, Bishop made a minor formation tweak, pushing Dele Alli up to play behind the striker in midfield – and it made an instant impact.

In their next match against Swansea City, Sunderland scored four goals, with Jobe Bellingham starting the action in the 59th minute, followed by Adil Aouchiche and two quick goals from Dele Alli, making it 4-0 at the 78th minute. Josh Ginnelly scored a brace in the final 10 minutes, resulting in a 4-2 win.

Their following game against Rotherham was similarly one-sided, with Sunderland taking 20 shots to Rotherham's one and an xG of 5.6 – the highest of the season so far. But the highlight of the month was undoubtedly Dele Alli's incredible performance against Millwall, where he scored four goals in the first half alone. He scored with a header in the third minute, a penalty in the 25th minute, a shot from the edge of the box, and a tap-in at the 43rd minute to complete the half.

Dele's outstanding performance made him the first player to score four goals in the first half of an EFL Championship match, and the last to score four in a match since Yakou Meite for Reading against Luton Town in July 2020.