- Jobe Bellingham was in the right place at the right time to nod the ball home
- Sunderland are sixth in the Championship, while Leeds remain in third place
- On a packed train, how DO you ask a celebrity to move from a seat you have reserved? It’s All Kicking Off
Sunderland may lack a manager right now but they certainly brim with youthful vim and vigour – as embodied by 18-year-old Jobe Bellingham.
You could say ‘remember the name’ but obviously you already know it as the younger sibling of England star Jude scored their late winner to sink Leeds United.
Bellingham was in the right place at the right time to nod the ball home after Alex Pritchard’s header dropped to him inside the six-yard box.
Leeds claimed offside but Bellingham was criminally left alone and the goal was exactly what Sunderland deserved after they’d controlled this contest.
Daniel Farke’s side looked off-colour all night and given they need to keep on winning to keep pace with top two Ipswich and Leicester, this was far from ideal ahead of the testing Christmas period.
Teenage midfielder Jobe Bellingham headed home the late winner for Sunderland
The younger sibling of England star Jude was left unmarked to score in 78th minute
The German coach insisted he wasn’t afraid to become the Grinch and keep his team focused on the promotion race during the festivities.
This subdued performance on Wearside wouldn’t have helped his mood as Leeds laboured, lacking the usual control through possession and ability to create chances.
Sunderland’s win kept them in the play-off positions and if their new boss can hit the ground running, they have every chance of remaining there.
Pre-match chatter around the Stadium of Light concerned reports out of Belgium that up-and-coming manager Will Still was now the frontrunner to take over here following positive talks with owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.
Given the youthful nature of Sunderland’s team, it would seem the 31-year-old coach, who has worked wonders with Reims in France, would be a good fit.
In the meantime, caretaker boss Mike Dodds was aiming to build on the many positives from Saturday’s 2-1 win over fellow promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion.
Sunderland would dominate the first-half but only after a couple of early Leeds scares jolted them into life.
Leeds goalkeeper Islan Meslier dives to make a one handed save in the first-half
Bellingham went close with a header from another accurate Pritchard corner on Tuesday night
Good interplay down the Leeds left by Djed Spence – in for the hamstrung Sam Byram – and Crysencio Summerville led to a free-kick in an advantageous position by the corner of the box.
Summerville whipped in a devilish ball to the back post that home keeper Anthony Patterson had little option but to touch away.
Spence would try a curling effort of his own that went harmlessly wide through a cluster of Sunderland defenders.
It was tricky to pinpoint the exact moment but Sunderland suddenly took charge of the contest, roared on by the large Stadium of Light crowd.
They carved out a first clear-cut opportunity on 22 minutes, with Alex Pritchard bending a low effort wide with Ilian Meslier worried enough to dive at full stretch.
The tussle down the Sunderland left between Jack Clarke and young Archie Gray was a fascinating one. Clarke has a good turn of pace and Gray clumsily brought him down with a lunge to earn a booking.
The resulting free-kick, slung in by Pritchard, caused brief panic in the Leeds ranks before Spence hacked the ball clear for a corner.
At least they reacted to that set-piece. From the corner, again delivered by Pritchard, nobody picked up Jenson Seelt, whose header looked destined to drop in until the moment Meslier clawed it out with his fingertips.
Sunderland forward Jenen Seelt was denied during a goalmouth scramble against Leeds
Leeds failed to learn their lesson, however, as seven minutes later Bellingham was allowed to rise unchallenged and head wide from another accurate Pritchard corner.
The pattern continued after the restart with Meslier pushed out Niall Huggins’ effort after Gray could only half-clear. Luke O’Nien then unsuccessfully claimed a penalty when Dan James caught him swinging his leg to clear.
Ethan Ampadu had to take a sacrificial yellow card after bringing down Pritchard after the Sunderland man charged down Joe Rodon’s clearance and ran into space.
The goal was coming and Bellingham obliged with 12 minutes to play. Despite late flurries of pressure, Leeds had no response.
