£114m star celebrates Sunderland’s winner vs Hull City as Michael Beale remains muted on sideline after Jack Clarke’s goal

Sunderland bettered Hull City in the Championship on Boxing Day with several key moments playing out in front of our eyes.

On Boxing Day, Michael Beale experienced his first taste of victory as Sunderland’s head coach when his team overcame Hull City in the Championship at the MKM Stadium.

Nonetheless, there were a few noteworthy moments during the game. Here, we go over some of the most important talking points from Sunderland’s victory over Hull City in case you missed them:

£114 million star seen rejoicing over Jack Clarke’s goal

Jude Bellingham, a star for Real Madrid who cost the Spanish powerhouses approximately £114 million last summer, was present to witness Sunderland and his brother Jobe Bellingham play in the Championship.

Jude, 20, was clearly stunned by Abdoullah Ba’s costly error in the first half after watching Sunderland’s previous match at the Stadium of Light, a 3-0 loss to Coventry City. But the former Dortmund player was seen on camera with his father Mark Bellingham celebrating Clarke’s score against Hull City, even putting him in a headlock at one point.

Jude made waves prior to the game when, in an effort to support his brother, he was seen being photographed multiple times around the MKM Stadium with a Sunderland card on. Despite being just eighteen, Jobe, who joined Sunderland from Birmingham City last summer, has established himself as a mainstay in the first squad.

Beale, the new head coach of Sunderland, has had a difficult few weeks. It was always going to be difficult to replace a popular fan figure like Tony Mowbray, and the Wearside atmosphere has not been improved by uncontrollably occurring club-related events like the Newcastle ticket scandal.

Undoubtedly, a considerable number of Sunderland supporters were not too thrilled with Beale’s selection for the Academy of Light, and his stint began with the Black Cats losing 3-0 at home to Coventry, which was the worst possible start. Mowbray was the target of taunts and chants during the game, but Beale stayed composed and said in the aftermath that supporters had the right to express their opinions.

Considering the past few weeks he’s had and the additional abuse he’s received from both fans and journalists, you could have excused Beale for going bonkers when Clarke gave his team the lead. The former Rangers and QPR player did, however, show that he still has a ways to go in terms of fostering a relationship with fans by remaining composed and subdued during his celebrations following the goal and at full time.

But the head coach’s performance against Hull City was a huge step in the right direction, and the Beale era is already off to a good start.

Additional injury concerns for Sunderland and further misfortune for Beale

Sunderland’s injury woes appear to be unabated. Niall Huggins had a nasty leg injury last week against Coventry City, needed to be stretchered off, and is not expected to play again for some time.

This time, Bradley Dack was the one taken off early after Beale gave him the start against Hull City. Despite suffering a head injury, the attacking midfield player was able to get up and walk off the pitch, which is encouraging.