Sunderland faced Leeds United in an action-packed affair, which saw The Black Cats draw level in the dying moments, still keeping them at the summit of the Championship until at least Saturday morning.
An entertaining opening period saw both sides look to knock the ball about and create space to flow within. This was a game where goals scored meant a lot for their current league positions.
Jobe Bellingham offered up the first chance of the game, with his attempted shot sailing over the crossbar in the fifth minute. Three minutes later, Largie Ramazani’s ambitious effort landed just outside Anthony Patterson’s left post.
Chris Rigg opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a rebound from a thundering Dennis Cirkin shot, which was initially blocked on the line by Illan Meslier. However, the Frenchman could do nothing about the follow-up.
Wilfried Gnonto was dispossessed in the penalty area by a plethora of Sunderland shirts. With the Italian forward going to ground too easily, no penalty concerns were flagged. Sunderland remained compact and disciplined in their defensive approach.
Dan Neil slotted in between the two centre-backs, as per usual, providing a strong block against the pacey Leeds attack.
Romaine Mundle tried from range in the 17th minute, but Meslier had no trouble as he effortlessly caught the ball in the centre of the goal. The Black Cats continued to look dangerous as the game began to open up.
Luke O’Nien then put his body on the line at the other end of the pitch, to block an attempt from Joel Piroe from a right angle in the box. An excellent lofted ball from Joe Rodon nearly carved the well-drilled Sunderland defence open.
As the 20-minute mark hit, it became glaringly obvious that a low-block would be one of Regis Le Bris’ tactics for the remainder of the game, in order to retain the lead.
However, an immediate punishment for this stance meant that Piroe could grab a goal back for the Yorkshire side. The 22nd minute offered up a pin-point delivery from Gnonto, which landed on the head of the 25-year-old. Questions over whether the inclusion of VAR would’ve overturned the goal will likely spark conversation.
A scramble in the box left both sets of players all over the place: sliding in, blocking, trying to get any connection on the ball. Brendan Aaronson ended up kicking Piroe in the process of going for goal and the referee’s whistle fizzled the unexpected chance out.
Leeds’ dominance continued with more and more attacks coming in. However, neither Gnonto nor Ramazani could turn their chances into a lead.
In the 36th minute, Sunderland finally sprung an attack of their own, with Cirkin once again causing a threat. The cross eventually fell to Patrick Roberts, who cut in and drilled a shot low into Meslier’s gloves.
Rodon went into the book as the first to receive a yellow card. If it hadn’t been for Pascal Struijk, the Welshman would’ve likely been sent off in a last-man situation. Wilson Isidor looked to have been played through in this 39th-minute debacle, but this threat was thwarted illegally.
Shortly after, a deflected shot from Bellingham was taken wide for a corner by the aforementioned Rodon. And again, in the 42nd minute, the 20-year-old curled another effort from outside the box, just wide of the right-hand post.
Half-time: Sunderland 1-1 Leeds United
Bellingham blocked off Piroe immediately from kick-off, by pulling the Dutchman to the ground, and therefore received Sunderland’s first yellow for the needless incident.
Another block by Cirkin in the 49th minute exemplified how important the Englishman has been for Le Bris’ side this season. A tricky dribble from Gnonto culminated in a shot that was dealt with.
Junior Firpo fired Leeds ahead in the 56th minute. A fantastic run into the thick of the Sunderland backline forced Hume to dive in; the left-back evaded the sliding challenge and offloaded the ball to Gnonto. The winger then handed Firpo the ball back in the centre of the box, allowing the Spaniard to fire a shot into the bottom right corner and past an out-stretched Patterson.
The 61st minute brought another cynical yellow card, with Gnonto causing trouble down the flanks again, this time on the right. His shirt was pulled by Neil, who consequently received his side’s second booking.
The entirety of the Sunderland midfield picked up a yellow card apiece, with the Italian again causing a nuisance down the left. A 65th-minute foul from Chris Rigg meant the 17-year-old received another booking for his clear frustration, as his side continued to trail.
Hume wasted a great opportunity from a Mundle cross, with an ambitious attempt that flew high over the bar. With a runner on the outside and plenty of options arriving in the box, the 22-year-old should’ve looked for an alternative option.
The 73rd minute announced the first substitution of the game, with ex-Preston North End captain Alan Browne replacing the teenager, Rigg. A necessary change to introduce some further experience was made by Le Bris in the hope that Sunderland could claw their way back into the tie.
Mateo Joseph was then introduced shortly after, to combat the Black Cats’ forward-thinking substitution. The departure of Piroe clearly came down to a problem with the Dutchman’s fatigue.
With another inclusion to the Sunderland first team, Tommy Watson came on for a further cameo appearance and to gain some crucial developmental experience. The 18-year-old winger has scored 30 goals in the club’s youth set-up and is being given a platform by Le Bris. Some fans started to leave early, whether that was out of dismay at their club’s performance or to beat the inevitable traffic – it felt somewhat unwarranted considering the efforts of the players.
Six minutes of additional time was met with an underwhelmed jeer from the Sunderland faithful, as they believed the time taken for Meslier’s injury was a lot longer than suggested. Ramazani’s exit was then met by the introduction of Isaac Schmidt, who – in his first involvement – instantly won the ball back for Daniel Farke’s side.
The Swiss, versatile player fired in a beautifully-weighted ball in to Aaronson, but his 93rd-minute attempt was blocked and subsequently ended in a corner for the away side.
After a valiant display, with two assists to his name, Gnonto departed in the final minute to welcome Sam Byram onto the field. The 31-year-old was a smart, defensive change. But, his opposite full-back, Jayden Bogle, was sent into the referee’s book for a yellow card offence.
Sheer pandemonium ensued in the Sunderland sections, as an absolute gift of a goal is given to Le Bris’ side in the dying moments of the game. An exceptional turn of events, which saw Alan Browne hit a curious ball into the box, caused Firpo to deflect the ball into the path of Meslier and past the Frenchman, into the back of the net. This warranted a confused and relieved chuckle from the Irishman; A ridiculous mishap handed Sunderland a point in the end. An equally as confused Meslier seemed to have blamed the ground in front of him for the dramatic equaliser.
Full-time: Sunderland 2-2 Leeds United
