That’s all from me. Thanks for reading, and for your emails. Just another day in the Championship!
Louise Taylor's match report
Sky have come up with ‘Lightning Struijks twice’ as a pun, and in the words of Barry Davies, you have to say that’s magnificent.
Leeds’ players create a huddle on the pitch in celebration. Daniel Farke doesn’t seem too fussed by that booking, whipping the Leeds fans into a frenzy as he does a lap of honour. Fair play to the German, he changed the game with those substitutions.
This is what the result does to the table. Leeds go top, above their opponents next Monday.
Sunderland are now eight points adrift of the automatic promotion places.
It’s a gargantuan result for both teams, in two different ways.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leeds | 33 | 48 | 72 |
| 2 | Sheff Utd | 33 | 24 | 70 |
| 3 | Burnley | 33 | 30 | 65 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 33 | 20 | 62 |
| 5 | Blackburn | 33 | 8 | 51 |
I Predict a Riot by Kaiser Chiefs blares out around Elland Road, with the home fans going absolutely ballistic.
I think Daniel Farke was booked in the aftermath of that winner. I’m not entirely sure why, perhaps for encroaching on the pitch in celebration? Maybe for saying something to the officials?
That means the Leeds manager will serve a touchline ban for his side’s next game … which is away at Sheffield United. A huge Yorkshire derby!
Full-time: Leeds 2-1 Sunderland
“Leeds are falling apart again”, ironically sing the home fans in response to Sunderland’s earlier chant. What an end to the game!
Updated
GOAL! Leeds 2-1 Sunderland (Struijk 90+6)
Leeds have won it at the death! The Rothwell corner is initially cleared but the ball comes back to the former Blackburn man and he whips another beauty of a cross into the six-yard box … Patterson flaps at it … and Struijk nods the ball into the net!
Updated
90+4 min: Corner to Leeds. They will fancy their luck from set-pieces with Rothwell on the ball.
90+3 min: O’Nien has been a walking yellow card all evening and finally picks one up for flattening Joseph on the half-way line during a promising Leeds counter-attack. It was more of a rugby tackle.
90+2 min: A bit more housekeeping as Byram comes on for Firpo.
90 min: Sunderland make a rare foray forward but Hume is crowded out on the byline. Five minutes added on here. There’s only one team that looks like winning it (it’s Leeds btw).
88 min: Genuinely shocked that Gnonto is still on the Leeds bench.
86 min: Rothwell has made such a difference since coming for Leeds, breaking the lines with his passing. Piroe is popping up in some nice pockets of space in front of Sunderland’s defence.
The Black Cats make another change: Roberts for Poveda, who used to play for Leeds of course.
84 min: Patterson, Sunderland’s goalkeeper, is booked for timewasting. It’s fair to say he is not the flavour of the month with the home fans behind the goal.
82 min: Fair play to Daniel Farke. There was a fairly obvious problem in terms of final ball for Leeds. Farke changed things and two substitutes – Rothwell and Struijk – combined for Leeds’ equaliser.
80 min: More subs: Ramazani and Joseph are on for Leeds, Aaronson and Solomon off.
Elland Road is bouncing! Leeds will now push for a winner, can Sunderland hold out?
GOAL! Leeds 1-1 Sunderland (Struijk 78)
Rothwell, just on as a sub, whips the first good delivery of Leeds’ evening into the Sunderland box. Struijk rises highest, winning a glancing header which evades Patterson and O’Nien to creep over the goalline!
Updated
76 min: Sunderland respond with a double change of their own. Goalscorer Isidor and Rigg off for Mayenda and Samed. I’m sure Le Bris would have preferred to have kept things they way they were. But Isidor and Rigg had given their all. Their race was run.
74 min: James underhits a cross. Soloman overhits another. The final pass from Leeds has been absolutely dreadful. Surely time for Gnonto and/or Ramazani.
72 min: Leeds make a double change: Rothwell and Struijk on for Tanaka and Gruev, who have both been underwhelming for Leeds. Struijk will go to centre-back and Ampadu into midfield to partner Rothwell.
70 min: Leeds shoot! It’s a fairly speculative one from Piro, well outside the Sunderland area, but it’s a shot! Patterson saves, diving to his right and Sunderland clear.
67 min: Leeds have had 74% possession in this second half and had no shots on target.
65 min: It’s all Leeds. The home side are applying relentless pressure but are really struggling with their final ball. I wonder if we’ll see Rothwell or Gnonto off the bench soon.
63 min: Another penalty shout for Leeds, as Cirkin is accused of handball! But the Sunderland man has his arm in a natural position. The shout is waved away by the referee.
61 min: Solomon is getting a good kicking, with Rigg and Hume the latest to steam into the Israeli. Hume is cautioned for his challenge, the third Sunderland man to go into the book.
Updated
59 min: Archie Gray, the Tottenham teenager who left Leeds last summer, is in the Elland Road crowd tonight. A massive fan of the club, and from a prestigious footballing family, with his great-uncle Eddie and father, Andy, former Leeds players.
57 min: Yellow card for Bellingham, who cynically brings down Aaronson after the Leeds man had wriggled clear into a dangerous position.
55 min: Great save/gather from Patterson as Solomon zips a low cross across Sunderland’s six-yard box. Patterson had to get something on it and did well to hold onto the ball with Piroe and Aaronson hovering.
53 min: Rigg, who has been quiet so far with the ball but busy in defence, hassling and hurrying his opponents, breaks clear, nutmegs Tanaka in midfield and wins a free-kick off Firpo to relieve the Leeds pressure.
51 min: Penalty shout for Leeds! Solomon overhits a cross into the Sunderland box. Tanaka is lurking at the back post but never seriously going to reach the cross. Nevertheless, Cirkin takes a huge risk in holding Tanaka’s shirt inside Sunderland area and eventually wrestling the Leeds midfielder to the ground. The referee waves play on, but I can imagine that with a better cross, with Tanaka more likely to actually reach the ball, that may well have been given.
49 min: A delay in play as Isidor crouches down to do up his boot lace. The Sunderland striker is roundly booed by the home faithful.
46 min: Just as they did in the first half, Sunderland fly out of the traps and instantly create an opening. Roberts lifts a clever ball through to the underlapping Hume, who volleys at goal. The shot is held by Meslier. That is five shots on target for Sunderland, to Leeds’ one.
Peeeeeeeeeep!
We’re underway again at Elland Road.
Half-time reading:
Half-time: Leeds 0-1 Sunderland
Isidor, Sunderland’s goalscorer, raises his fist in celebration towards the travelling away fans as he disappears down the tunnel.
45+4 min: A half-chance for Leeds, as 5ft7in James wins a back-post header (!) into a dangerous area, but O’Nien is well positioned to hack the ball away.
45+3 min: From the resulting free-kick, Roberts crosses and Isidor’s header is saved by Meslier. As the Leeds goalkeeper gathers, there are a few handbags, with O’Nien and Isidor clashing with both Meslier and Rodon. Isidor is the latest into the referee’s book.
45+2 min: Le Fée releases Bellingham with the cutest of flicks and Bogle, almost affronted by the skill, upends Bellingham as he canters down the left wing. Bogle is rightfully booked.
45 min: Four minutes added on.
42 min: Daniel James looks the most likely to get Leeds back into this game. But after taking a promising position on the left wing, he cuts inside and curls a fairly weak shot at Patterson.
40 min: This has turned into a scrappy game, which will suit Sunderland just fine. Cirkin leaves Bogle in a heap. Aaronson is again clumsy in midfield. Hmmmm.
38 min: I haven’t watched a lot of Jobe Bellingham live, but it really is unerring how similar he is to his brother in terms of running style and mannerisms with the ball. Perhaps that’s an obvious point to make, and unsurprising, given the fact they are, you know, the same flesh and blood. Just over two years between them, just imagine the kickabouts in the garden.
36 min: “Leeds are falling apart, again”, sing the the Sunderland fans from the away end.
34 min: Pace, strength, skill and a finish to boot. That goal had just about everything in terms of centre-forward play.
GOAL! Leeds 0-1 Sunderland (Isidor 32)
A goal out of nothing but this is magnificent centre-forward play and the first goal that Leeds have conceded in the Championship since 4 January. It’s a long straight ball up from the back, but Isidor shows great pace to break the offside trap, latch onto the ball, use his strength to turn and outmuscle Ampadu and strike an unstoppable low shot off the far post and in! Meslier had no chance!
Updated
30 min: Our first yellow card as Tanaka catches Neil high on the shin. A bad tackle and not too many complaints.
27 min: More blood and thunder as Aaronson flies into Le Fée. The Sunderland man looks like he has rolled his ankle nastily. Eeeesh.
24 min: Is there anyone faster than Dan James in the Championship? Maybe only Fulham’s Adama Traoré in England? Now that Kyle Walker has gone to Milan, perhaps. Anyway, James shows extraordinary pace to chase down a lost cause and win a free kick for Leeds in a dangerous area. O’Nien tried to rough James up a bit but the former Manchester United man wore it well. Sunderland clear the set piece.
22 min: Bogle sends Le Fée to the shop with a lovely body feint. We expected the opposite interaction to happen tonight, perhaps. In fairness, Le Fée gets his feet (le féet?) and gets back well to win the ball back for Sunderland.
20 min: Hume, unperturbed by his earlier injury, flies into a full-bloodied challenge with Solomon, leaving the Leeds man splatted over the Elland Road turf. Replays show it to be a brilliant tackle, although a sore one for Solomon.
18 min: For full disclosure, my three-year old son has just discovered Ice Age, so most of my references are going to be of that ilk. Apologies.
16 min: Sunderland need a way out of their own half and Isidor somehow provides it with a mazy dribble, evading and then running into trouble, before somehow evading it again. It reminded me of this scene, if Isidor was the squirrel with the acorn/ball.
14 min: Leeds have had 75% possession in the last 10 minutes but yet to carve out a major chance. Soloman has a deflected shot. Another Leeds corner is cleared. The pressure is building.
12 min: Leeds are putting the squeeze on. High-octane stuff, with and without the ball.
10 min: Hume is hobbling after colliding with teammate O’Nien. The Sunderland’s right back is going to have to go off for treatment.
8 min: An email from Jeremy Boyce: “This is a great match up, both teams looking to restore former glories, both in the four-into-two-doesn’t-go automatic promotion spots reckoning, both capable of scoring and conceding. A night that could open clear water, or muddy if further. Farke’s lot will want a Revie-esque non-defeat, and their record isn’t too great against their peers. On the other hand, they’re pretty ruthless on any signs of weakness. Could be a telling evening”.
6 min: Leeds pressing high, with Bogle springing forward to win the ball back near Sunderland’s box. Leeds earn a corner but it’s a dreadful delivery and Roberts clears easily at the near post.
4 min: What a rip-snorting start to this match. Both teams look in the mood to win it.
2 min: Huge chance for Sunderland and humungous double save from Meslier! Ballard comes out of defence with all the poise and swagger of a young Jonathan Woodgate, releases Le Fée on the left wing. The Frenchman squares the ball to Bellingham on the edge of the area – completely free after a Gruev slip – but the Sunderland midfielder doesn’t beat Meslier with his shot and the Leeds keeper gets quickly to his feet to block the rebound!
Peeeeeeeeeep!
We’re off in Yorkshire. I have just learned Leeds’ Meslier and Sunderland’s Le Fée were friends at school in Lorient, France.
Updated
The teams are out. You might remember the reverse fixture of this in October, where a Illan Meslier’s injury-time clanger gifted Sunderland a draw.
I would expect Leeds to have the majority of the possession tonight. They average over 60% possession in the Championship this season and Sunderland average less than half. As Le Bris touched on, Sunderland will most likely stay compact and hit Leeds on the break. No teams have scored more goals from counter-attacks than these two teams this season.
Régis Le Bris, Sunderland’s manager, speaks to the cameras:
Leeds are a strong opponent. We are still a young team. At the end of the game, we will have learned a lot. I don’t want to overthink about the table and the consequences. I just want to concentrate on Leeds and the three points. We trust our defensive shape and to use our fast attacks.
In other Championship news today:
This is the first Leeds game since Friday’s statement condemning the anti-Palestine chant aimed at Israel international Manor Solomon. A reminder of that statement:
Leeds United again condemn the football chant containing an anti-Palestine lyric aimed at Manor Solomon, having already done so in December.
Hate crime and discriminatory language or chanting is not acceptable at Leeds United and the club has a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination abuse of all kinds.
The club has received a large number of complaints from Leeds United supporters regarding the chant and had hoped the initial strategy of condemning it through the media and working with supporter groups, would prevent this from happening in the future, but it has sadly become more prominent in recent matches, including at Elland Road.
After monitoring the situation at recent home games, the origins of the chant at Elland Road appear to come from the Norman Hunter South Stand, particularly in blocks FA5, FA6, SS5, SS6. As a result, there will be an increased CCTV surveillance and stewarding presence.
This is a nice piece by Louise Taylor on Enzo Le Fée, who was a protege of the Sunderland manager, Regis Le Bris, at Lorient.
Team news!
Leeds: Meslier, Bogle, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo, Tanaka, Gruev, James, Aaronson, Solomon, Piroe.
Subs: Darlow, Byram, Schmidt, Struijk, Rothwell, Guilavogui, Ramazani, Gnonto, Fernandez.
Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, O’Nien, Cirkin, Neil, Bellingham, Roberts, Rigg, Le Fee, Isidor.
Subs: Moore, Browne, Mayenda, Mundle, Abdul Samed, Mepham, Aleksic, Hjelde, Poveda-Ocampo.
Updated
Preamble
Elland Road under the lights. Second v fourth. Tonight’s Championship offering between two-promotion chasing sides, Leeds United and Sunderland is an absolute belter.
Leeds are on an absolute tear at the minute, winning five of their last six in the Championship (the other result a 0-0 draw away at Burnley). In those six matches they have scored 18 goals, averaging three a game, and conceded none. This is an important period for every club but with this feels particularly important for Leeds as they look to pull clear of the chasing pack for automatic promotion, with Burnley drawing 0-0 at Preston on Saturday. This is the first of three tough matches for the Yorkshire club, with Sheffield United (away) a week from today, followed by West Brom at home.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheff Utd | 33 | 24 | 70 |
| 2 | Leeds | 32 | 47 | 69 |
| 3 | Burnley | 33 | 30 | 65 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 32 | 21 | 62 |
| 5 | Blackburn | 33 | 8 | 51 |
Sunderland are unbeaten in the league in 2025, but their form has recently flickered between wins and draws and second-placed Leeds are now in a commanding position. This feels like a crucial chance to reel in the top two.
The Black Cats have the youngest squad in the Championship littered with talent, particularly Jobe Bellingham, top scorer Wilson Isidor and Enzo Le Fée. The latter two both scored in Sunderland’s last outing, a 2-0 win over Luton. Patrick Roberts, a relative veteran at 28, has also been outstanding.
This one should be a cracker. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT.
