Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland aren’t exactly close as clubs, and there’s not really a rivalry between the two.
However, plenty of Tottenham fans were buzzing after Sunderland defeated Sheffield United in Saturday’s Championship playoff final.
Tyrese Campbell put the Blades ahead in the 25th minute, but Eliezer Mayenda equalised midway through the second half.
Just as it looked as though extra time beckoned, Sunderland youngster Tom Watson made history with his last kick for the club.
Watson, who is moving to Brighton & Hove Albion, lashed home in the fifth minute of injury time to drag Sunderland into the Premier League.
Spurs fans took to social media to praise the Black Cats, with a focus on two of their players in particular.
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Tottenham academy graduates Dennis Cirkin and Romaine Mundle help Sunderland to promotion
Dennis Cirkin and Romaine Mundle, who started for Sunderland in the final, were previously on the books at Tottenham.
They were in the Spurs academy and made several senior matchday squads, but both left before making any competitive appearances.
Cirkin joined Sunderland directly from Tottenham in 2021, while Mundle joined Standard Liege in 2023 before linking up with the Black Cats a year later.
Tottenham fans remembered both players and congratulated them for their role in achieving promotion with the Wearside outfit.
“Welcome back to the Premier League, Sunderland,” one Spurs fan wrote on X. “Also welcome back to our N17 graduated Dennis Cirkin and Romaine Mundle.”
Another said: “Congratulations to Tottenham academy products Dennis Cirkin and Romaine Mundle on helping bring Sunderland back to the Premier League.”
The praise kept coming, with one Spurs supporter saying “so happy for Cirkin and Mundle”, while another wrote “well done Cirkin and Mundle btw.”
One fan recalled the injury troubles Cirkin previously had, saying: “Cirkin has had some brutal injury history too, very happy for him.”
Another wrote: “Well done Dennis Cirkin & Romaine Mundle 2 Tottenham boys winning with Sunderland today.”
Why Harry Kane will always remember Tottenham vs Sunderland
Harry Kane is closing in on 700 senior appearances for club and country over the course of his career.
He wouldn’t be expected to fully recall every single one of those games; there will be a handful that will stick out in the memory.
And there’s a very good chance that a fixture between Tottenham and Sunderland will be among them.
This is because, all the way back in 2014, Kane scored his first ever Premier League goal against the Black Cats.
The date was 7 April 2014 and, though Kane had scored his first Spurs goal in December 2011, he had to wait almost three years for his first league goal.
In the 59th minute, with the scores level at 1-1, Christian Eriksen sent a delivery in from the left and Kane got across the near post to steer the ball home.
Kane’s goal opened the floodgates for Tottenham as Eriksen added a third, Emmanuel Adebayor got his second of the day, and Gylfi Sigurdsson wrapped up the scoring.
