“Sunderland’s Le Bris DROPS a Bombshell: ‘I Made a Mistake Against Leeds!’ What Went Wrong?
When luck is on your side, it really shows. Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris felt fortunate to escape with a draw against Leeds United on Friday night, despite a tactical error. The Black Cats maintained their unbeaten home record, even if they couldn’t keep their perfect start at the Stadium of Light.
Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier, a former player of Le Bris at FC Lorient, made a critical mistake late in the match, allowing Sunderland to salvage a point and preserve the three-point gap between the two teams in the promotion race. Meslier’s blunder in the 97th minute was bewildering, and it was difficult to comprehend what he was trying to do, even after multiple replays.
Le Bris acknowledged his team’s resilience and credited their tactical adjustments after Leeds had initially looked dominant. “We started strong and created several chances, but then we struggled defensively,” he admitted. “Switching to a 5-4-1 formation was the wrong choice. It made it tough to defend our box.”
Sunderland’s midfield, previously praised for their performance against Derby County, found it challenging to influence the game after Leeds equalized. However, Le Bris’ switch to a 4-4-2 formation helped regain control. “After the first goal, we adjusted to 4-4-2, and it worked better. We had more possession, but fatigue played a role in limiting our chances,” he noted.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke had mixed feelings after the match. While disappointed with the late equalizer, he recognized the significance of securing a point against the Championship leaders, especially given his team’s midfield challenges due to injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ilya Gruev.
“Every other opponent has lost here, so we have to look at the positives. Today, we had a different midfield setup with Ao Takana and Joe Rothwell,” Farke explained. “With Ampadu and Gruev out, we couldn’t play as aggressively in regaining possession. We need to adapt to playing with more creative midfielders, which makes quick transitions harder.”
