James Copley: Leeds United fans hated Sunderland’s tactics at Elland Road - which means they worked

There are nights in football when aesthetics matter. Elland Road under the lights can produce those occasions. This was not one of them.

Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Leeds United was scrappy, fractious and, at times, undeniably cynical. VAR dominated the conversation, tempers simmered and the rhythm of the game was repeatedly broken. But for all the outrage that followed, the result itself was neither accidental nor particularly mysterious. Leeds were frustrated. Sunderland were efficient.

We should start with the officiating, because that is where most of the noise has centred. If you were of a Leeds persuasion, there is one moment in particular that would sting. In the first-half, Luke O’Nien wrestled Pascal Struijk inside the penalty area with a degree of enthusiasm that should have resulted in a spot-kick. VAR did not intervene, perhaps because the ball was some distance away, but if the roles were reversed, Sunderland supporters would have been apoplectic.

However, Joe Rodon’s disallowed goal was clearly offside, even if the delay that followed added to the tension inside the ground. The penalty that ultimately decided the contest was also the right call. Ethan Ampadu moved his arm towards the ball, and the VAR review simply confirmed what the replay showed. Leeds supporters have also argued that Habib Diarra should have received a second yellow card for celebrating his penalty in front of the travelling Sunderland fans. In truth, by the letter of the law, he probably should have been dismissed for it. These calls explain much of the irritation inside Elland Road. But like many flashpoints in games of this nature, it was not ultimately the decisive issue.

What matters more is what Leeds actually produced. For all their territorial dominance, they created remarkably little in terms of genuine shots on target and big chances. Melker Ellborg, Sunderland’s debutant goalkeeper, spent most of the evening watching events unfold rather than influencing them. Apart from a solid save from an Anton Stach free-kick, he was largely untroubled. That is the part that will concern Daniel Farke far more than Sunderland’s gamesmanship.

The visitors certainly leaned into the darker side of the sport. Restarts were slow, bodies went down when contact was made, and the game’s tempo was repeatedly disrupted. Ellborg took four minutes over six goal kicks. Sunderland needed eight minutes to take 19 throw-ins. Leeds took roughly half that time to take more of them. In total, there were 105 stoppages, with 50 minutes and 49 seconds of actual playing time across 106 minutes of action. VAR reviews alone accounted for almost six minutes. Sunderland’s stoppages amounted to just over 31 minutes. Leeds were responsible for 23. This was not a flowing spectacle. But here is the inconvenient truth: Leeds allowed themselves to be drawn into it. And once they were, they struggled to escape.

There is a strange expectation that newly promoted teams should arrive at grounds like Elland Road intent on entertaining the locals. Sunderland were missing half a team. Talismanic captain Granit Xhaka was absent from the start. First-choice goalkeeper Robin Roefs was injured, forcing Ellborg into a debut. Reinildo Mandava was unavailable, as was Dennis Cirkin. Nordi Mukiele, arguably Sunderland’s player of the season, was also missing. Starting striker Brian Brobbey could not be called upon. Neither could wingers Romaine Mundle and Jocelin Ta Bi.

In those circumstances, attempting to play expansive football would have bordered on naïve. There is more than one way to win a match. Some pundits have described the contest as evidence that “football as a spectacle is dead”. That feels like a particularly theatrical overreaction to defeat. Sunderland were not trying to curate a spectacle; they were trying to leave Yorkshire with three points, which they did.

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And the wider context also matters. Leeds had won 13 consecutive midweek games at Elland Road and 19 of their previous 22. The idea that Sunderland should simply arrive and open the doors for their opponents is fanciful. Was it pretty? Not especially. Did Sunderland care? Almost certainly not. They defended resolutely, absorbed pressure and took the one clear opportunity that came their way. The “dark arts” were deployed effectively, as they often are by depleted teams protecting a lead away from home.

It is also worth noting that Leeds were hardly saints themselves during the evening. Ultimately, this was one of those matches where the emotional temperature rose far higher than the football itself justified. A draw might have been a fairer reflection of the balance of play. Despite being hard done by referees, Leeds did not do enough to win it, and Sunderland took their moment. That distinction is the one that matters.

And with the victory taking them to 40 points in March, Sunderland have quietly achieved what most newly promoted sides crave: security. With nine games still to play, the Black Cats look very much like a Premier League club for another season.

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