Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris highlighted Leeds United‘s proficiency in starting matches quickly ahead of Monday’s crucial Championship clash at Elland Road.
Heading into the weekend, no team in the league had scored more goals inside the first 30 minutes of games than Leeds United with 21 impressive strikes.
However, as Sunderland went into the half-time break with a narrow advantage – courtesy of a superb solo effort from Wilson Isidor – Daniel Farke’s title-chasing Leeds had to showcase a different side to their game.
Known for their lightning-fast starts, this time around, the home side hit top speed in the final stages to clinch a dramatic victory.
Pascal Struijk leveled the scores in the 78th minute before the center-back became the most unlikely of heroes in the dying seconds of stoppage time. Leeds stunned Sunderland with a remarkable comeback to climb back above Sheffield United at the summit.
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Considering the depth of talent at Farke’s disposal, a one-goal lead is never truly safe against a Leeds side who have the luxury of bringing on the likes of Struijk, Joe Rothwell, Largie Ramazani, Mateo Joseph, and Sam Byram, while leaving Italy international Willy Gnonto on the bench.
Matchwinner Struijk will hog the headlines, but Rothwell also made a significant impact following his 71st-minute introduction, the Bournemouth loanee driving his team forward with his surging runs from deep.
It was Rothwell’s sublime cross that set up Struijk’s close-range header, which left Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson with little chance.
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“It’s a shame to concede the second goal like we did at the end of the game,” Le Bris sighs, the Sunderland coach disappointed to see points slip away from a winning position. “We played a good first half and deserved to win 1-0 at half-time.
“But, in the second half, they built strong momentum, and it was really difficult to break their dynamic. Their substitutes were excellent as well, and they were very good at the end of the game.”
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On a night when Daniel Farke’s outstanding game-management came to the fore – Struijk and Rothwell replaced Ilia Gruev and Ao Tanaka in an inspired double-substitution – Le Bris’ own decisions will come under scrutiny.
Sunderland lost their most effective attacking outlet when Isidor was removed late on, leaving the visitors penned in and hanging on.
“We didn’t find the solution to slow down the game, and with the crowd, they had massive energy behind them,” adds the softly-spoken Frenchman. “They deserved to win the second half. It’s very difficult for the players, for us, and our fans, but they were strong in the second half.”
“We can be proud of our performance because Leeds are really dominant in the league. Probably for 60 minutes in this game, we were very close to their level, so it’s a case of consistency.
We have to find solutions when we are in this situation where we have to slow a team down and find some details that can be helpful. It wasn’t the case this evening, but we have to keep going. We have good qualities, and we’re learning from our different experiences.”
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