Régis Le Bris delivers verdict on Sunderland's late draw against Leeds United and explains what he got wrong

Régis Le Bris believes Sunderland deserved their late stroke of fortune at the Stadium of Light on Friday night.

The Black Cats were seconds away from defeat against Leeds United when Ilan Meslier fumbled Alan Browne’s effort following a late free kick. Le Bris nevertheless believed his side deserved their luck, having competed well with a strong team and having recovered from what he felt was a tactical error on his part in the early stages.

"I'm disappointed for him, I like him as a boy and a goalkeeper,” Le Bris said.

“Everyone on the pitch can make a mistake but for the goalkeeper and the striker, when you make a big mistake the consequences are great. This happened today. We are happy for the final result because it was a tough game against a strong team. We started very well and in possession, we were able to create many imbalances [for Leeds] and many chances to score. Then after, I think we struggled out of possession. We decided to play with a 5-4-1 shape and I think this was the wrong choice, it was difficult to defend our box and apply pressure. At the end, we defended in our final third and when you make a mistake here, then the opponent can quickly create a chance. After the first goal we decided to play with a 4-4-2 shape and I think it was better, most of the time we dominated the possession. We didn't create many chances, I think fatigue was a factor in the second part of the game. We wanted to play but it was difficult for us to find a solution.

"We need to improve as well our second ball, they decided to play long and we mostly won the first contact but the second was always Leeds,” he added.

“With that second ball they were able to create. In the end I think we deserved the draw because even if the goal was lucky, for the whole balance of the game, the way we were able to adapt our structure, I think it was a good point for us."