'We suffered': Sunderland midfielder delivers honest dressing room verdict after Leeds United draw

Pierre Ekwah says Sunderland executed their game plan well during their goalless draw against Leeds United - despite having to suffer for most of the match.

Mike Dodds’ side recorded just 30 per cent possession at Elland Road and had to defend in numbers for large spells. Still, the hosts were only able to register one shot on target, missing the chance to go top of the Championship.

When asked about Leeds’ frustrations, Ekwah replied: “Obviously they were, we were as well, but obviously they were playing to get promoted. We really stopped them well so that’s definitely a frustrating position to be in. We had chances and there is definitely more frustration for them. It’s understandable that the Leeds fans and team were getting frustrated. From our part we did really good.”

“It’s always great to play in this sort of stadium against those sorts of players. They were tough and we suffered most of the time but we did execute our game plan and it looked like we could win at times.”

The result means Sunderland have kept four clean sheets in their last five matches, with the only exception their 5-1 defeat against Blackburn.

“We still want to finish the highest we can,” added Ekwah. “We still want to go out there and perform for the fans. I just think it’s important and we owe them. It always starts with a strong mindset and we have shown that in the last four or five games, apart from the Blackburn game.”