SUNDERLAND will spend the next week-and-a-half trying to sign a striker before the transfer window closes. In the meantime, Eliezer Mayenda will continue trying to persuade Regis Le Bris the answer to his side’s attacking problems is already in situ at the Stadium of Light.

Mayenda scored his second goal in the last five games to enable the Black Cats to see of a dogged Derby side at Pride Park, and while there have been times when the Spaniard has struggled during his Sunderland career, his recent impact when played as a central striker has generally been impressive.

His clinical first-half strike made the difference last night, enabling Le Bris’ side to claim only a second win in their last nine away games and climb to third position in the table.

Dominant for the opening hour, Sunderland had to withstand a second-half Derby rally that saw Anthony Patterson make two excellent saves from Lars-Jorgen Salvesen headers, but their defensive resilience enabled them to see things out. Two clean sheets in the space of five days helps to explain why Sunderland have been so hard to beat this season.

Mayenda’s return to the starting line-up saw Le Bris revert to a 4-4-2 formation, with the Spaniard partnering Wilson Isidor in attack. The duo combined effectively when they were first paired together in the New Year’s Day win over Sheffield United, and this was another night when a switch of attacking system worked for Sunderland, with both Mayenda and Isidor benefiting from having another attacker alongside them, tying up a centre-half.

The visitors had already threatened through Dennis Cirkin, who side-footed over after a one-two with Enzo Le Fee, and Isidor, who stung the palms of Derby goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom with a long-range strike, when they opened the scoring shortly before the half-hour mark.

Jobe Bellingham’s through ball flicked off a defender after he picked up possession in the Derby half, but it still found its way through to Mayenda on the right of the box. The 19-year-old steadied himself, before drilling a clinical low strike through Zetterstrom’s legs. So much for Mayenda lacking the composure needed to score goals in the Championship.

Le Fee certainly doesn’t lack a calm head, and having hit the ground running at Burnley last Friday, this was a night when the Roma loanee oozed class throughout. His comfort in possession made him stand out, and his natural confidence was evident in the fiercely-driven first-half free-kick that forced Zetterstrom into an excellent save. In an ideal world, he would probably prefer not to be stationed out on the left flank, but in the continued absence of Romain Mundle, his arrival has already improved Sunderland’s starting side.

The Black Cats’ dominance was rarely threatened last night, although Chris Mepham was forced to produce a fine sliding block shortly before the hour mark to prevent Nathaniel Mendez-Laing firing a shot on target.

Mepham’s block resulted in a corner, and when that broke down, Sunderland charged upfield. Isidor galloped half the length of the field after receiving possession, but unlike at Hull, he couldn’t quite produce the finish to go with his purposeful running, with his shot being deflected wide of the post.

The visitors needed a second goal to feel completely comfortable because Paul Warne’s triple substitution midway through the second half spurred Derby into their best spell of the game.

One of the replacements, Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, thought he had scored when he met a cross from the left with a forceful header, but Anthony Patterson flung himself to his right to claw the ball away. Five minutes later, and the same two players were repeating themselves, with Patterson producing another full-length stop that prevented Salvesen from heading home.

The final few minutes would have been a lot less nervy for the visitors had referee Sam Allison not incorrectly ruled out an Isidor effort for offside with 13 minutes remaining – both the striker and Le Fee were well onside throughout the move.