Leeds went from thinking they were 1-0 up, to being 1-0 down in the span of six minutes, and that’s how it ended at Elland Road on Tuesday as Sunderland escaped with all three points.
WATCH — Leeds v Sunderland full match replay
Joe Rodon headed home what appeared to be the opener in the 64th minute but he was ruled offside after video review, having strayed too far forward before Anton Stach struck the free kick. Six minutes later, referee Stuart Atwell headed back to the monitor for another review and ended up pointing to the spot after deciding that Leeds midfielder Ethan Ampadu had handled the ball. Habib Diarra narrowly snuck the spot kick past Karl Darlow with Sunderland’s third (and final) shot of the night.
The victory snaps Sunderland’s four-game winless skid and puts the Black Cats (40 points) back up to 11th in the Premier League table. Leeds (31 points) remain 15th, just six perilous points above the relegation zone.
What’s next?
- Port Vale/Bristol City vs Sunderland — Sunday, 9:30 am ET (FA Cup)
- Leeds vs Norwich — Sunday, 12:30 pm ET (FA Cup)
- Sunderland vs Brighton — Saturday, March 14, 11 am ET (next PL fixture)
- Crystal Palace vs Leeds — Sunday, March 15, 12:30 pm ET (next PL fixture)
Leeds vs Sunderland live updates - by Andy Edwards
Leeds vs Sunderland final score: 0-1
Goalscorers: Habib Diarra (70' - PK)
GOAL! Leeds 0-1 Sunderland: Diarra scores from the penalty spot after Ampadu handles the ball (70')
NO GOAL! Joe Rodon heads home but he strayed offside before the free kick (64')
Leeds starting XI
Darlow - Rodon, Struijk, Justin - Bogle, Gruev, Ampadu, Gudmundsson - Stach, Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin
Sunderland starting XI
Ellborg - O’Nien, Ballard, Alderete - Geertruida, Diarra, Sadiki, Hume - Angulo, Le Fee, Mayenda
How to watch Leeds vs Sunderland live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 2:30pm ET Tuesday (March 3)
Venue: Elland Road — Leeds, Yorkshire
TV Channel: Peacock/NBCSN
Streaming: Stream live on Peacock
Daniel Farke’s Leeds forced the issue against Manchester City on Saturday but lost 1-0 at home. Farke was sent off after the game for his complaints towards the officials, as Leeds remain six points above the relegation zone but this game against the Black Cats feels massive as to the direction of the rest of their season.
After a truly incredible first half of the season, Sunderland have hit a really bad run of form with just one win from their last six games. They drew 1-1 at Bournemouth on Saturday and Regis Le Bris is thankful to have captain Granit Xhaka back from injury as they aim to push for a top 10 finish and not be sucked into a relegation scrap late in the season.
Leeds team news, focus
Noah Okafor is out with a hamstring issue and that is the only absentee for Leeds. Farke will likely go with a more attacking lineup and it would not be a surprise to see Lukas Nmecha partner Dominic Calvert-Lewin up top.
Sunderland team news, focus
Injuries have hit Sunderland hard in recent weeks, which goes a long way to explaining their downturn in results. Mayenda scored at Bournemouth at the weekend and should keep his place in the lineup, while Nordi Mukiele, Brian Brobbey, Reinildo and Romain Mundle all out injured.
Leeds vs Sunderland prediction
This will be close but it feels like Leeds have a little more cutting edge in attack and will get the job done at home. Leeds 2-1 Sunderland.
