Sunderland were beaten in stoppage time by Leeds United

Régis Le Bris said his Sunderland side could be proud of the way they played at Elland Road despite their late defeat to Leeds United.

Pascal Struijk’s stoppage-time header, his second of the game, sealed all three points for the hosts and dealt the Black Cats a massive blow in their increasingly distant top-two hopes. Sunderland had performed superbly in the first half and took the lead through Wilson Isidor, but struggled to resist the hosts after the interval.

Le Bris praised Leeds for a ‘really strong’ second half and admitted that his changes had failed to turn the tide within the game.

"I thought our first half was good, we played good football both in and out of possession,” Le Bris said.

“I think it was fair for us to score the goal and to be leading at half time. I thought the second half was more difficult because they built strong momentum and we didn't find the solution to break their dynamic. With the crowd, the energy of the stadium - it was always increasing an even with our subs we didn't find the solution to find change this energy.

"They were very strong in the second half. We expected that they would give more, take more risks and this was the right idea for them. For us, I think we can be proud of our way of playing in the first half especially. Even in the second half, we played as a team and we were brave. But without the small details which can change the dynamic of the game.

"For me, we played a good first half and we played a strong team - we have to admit that we can be overwhelmed at times by their strength. They were very good. We have a young team and they are learning from all these different experiences, I am sure that in the future this will be a positive for them. They are disappointed, of course. They want to win and to be promoted, to be in a good dynamic."

Sunderland return to action at the Stadium of Light on Saturday when they face Hull City.

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