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One of the main takeaways was the contrast in performance between the first and second half, but also during the game overall.
In the first half, I thought we played quite well. For the first thirty minutes, we had a lot of the ball and used it quite nicely, putting some nice passages of play together and causing Leeds some problems.
After we scored however, we sat back a bit, trying to protect our lead going into half time — which let Leeds back into the game. They created a couple of chances — including one Trai Hume had to clear off the line — and showed they would be competitive in the game.
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 28: Ethan Ampadu of Leeds United battles for possession with Enzo Le Fee of Sunderland during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Leeds United at Stadium of Light on December 28, 2025 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) Getty Images
In the five minutes’ of added time, the Lads came on stronger again. Chris Rigg’s brilliant pass into the path of Brian Brobbey was a great piece of invention, but our striker couldn’t get enough on the shot to find the back of the net. Then Brobbey could only hit the woodwork after that brilliant cross from Simon Adingra — two gilt-edged chances that could’ve changed the result but showed our promise and the threat we have.
In the second half, we totally regressed.
Leeds dominated the ball and we seemed slow and uninterested, struggling to create any chances. Their fans were vocal in response and our fans were quiet, not having much to respond to during a poor forty five minutes. This is something we aren’t used to seeing this season — especially at home. There are definitely lessons to learn from this game and I’m sure Régis Le Bris and the coaching staff will be on the case.
There were also some interesting individual performances.
Dennis Cirkin was thrown straight in at the deep end, playing the full ninety minutes on his Premier League debut. In the first half, he was brilliant, carrying the ball excellently, defending well and picking the right pass. In the second half, however, I thought he was poor. He was clearly tiring and due to Leeds having a lot of the ball, didn’t really have the opportunity to get forward.
Overall, I was impressed with Cirkin. He showed his talent and potential, but also his lack of Premier League experience.
He has six months remaining on his contract, so this period could be vital for his chances of earning a new and improved contract. On a side note – Mozambique won their first ever AFCON game on Sunday, putting them second in the best third-placed teams’ group.
There are still a couple of games to go in the group stages so Mozambique and Reinildo haven’t qualified just yet. In the nicest way possible, I hope they lose the rest of their games so that Reinildo can return and Cirkin is able to resume his role as a backup — something that both he and the supporters would be more comfortable with.
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 28: Sunderland’s Dennis Cirkin runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Leeds United at Stadium of Light on December 28, 2025 in Sunderland, United Kingdom. (Photo by Martin Swinney – Sunderland AFC/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images) Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Brobbey had a difficult game.
He missed two gilt-edged chances that ultimately came back to bite us, but still played quite well. He’s so strong and really good at holding up the ball, but due to that threat he’s constantly manhandled and, in my opinion, fouled. I understand that football is a physical game but it gets to a point where it goes far — and it’s also very difficult to referee these interactions.
If the referee awards one of these physical interactions in favour of Brobbey (which he did on Sunday), why wasn’t every single one given as a free kick? This lack of consistency must be very frustrating for Brobbey, who’s playing his role perfectly but not getting the decisions in his favour and sometimes even being penalised for it.
Simon Adingra had his best game in red and white on Sunday, even without the goal.
From minute one, he was energetic and dynamic, chasing down every loose ball, defending resolutely, running at his right back whenever he had the ball and causing Leeds many issues. His goal was terrific — a perfect first touch followed by an emphatic finish. It’ll do him the world of good to get a goal under his belt, giving him a platform to build on.
Sunderland’s English Ivorian #24 Simon Adingra celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the English Premier League football match between Sunderland and Leeds United at The Stadium of Light in Sunderland in north east England on December 28, 2025. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / AFP via Getty Images
The loss of Dan Ballard was a heavy hit. He’s been exceptional so far this season and will be a big miss — whether it’s for one game or five games.
There have been different reports coming out about the severity of his injury; pre-match, the BBC reported that he would be out for five weeks before Le Bris came out and said that they needed to do another scan to get a diagnosis, and that it’s (hopefully) not too serious.
Omar Alderete and Ballard have built a great bond as a centre back partnership , so it’s a shame to upset it, but Nordi Mukiele is an excellent player too — and Ballard being out actually links to the next talking point: that this was one of the first games this season where I don’t think we totally dominated physically.
I’m sure that Ballard would’ve helped us in this area, but Leeds were also very good physically. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has always been good in the air, and they have other big lads who were able to compete with ours. They brought in players to fit this style and focus their play on long balls, so it’s not a surprise that they would be good at it.
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 14: Daniel Ballard of Sunderland celebrates the teams first goal, an own goal, conceded by Nick Woltemade of Newcastle United (not pictured) during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Newcastle United at Stadium of Light on December 14, 2025 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images) Getty Images
Despite the patchy performance, we still got a point.
It keeps us moving forward and another step closer to safety. I think it’s also a good sign for the team to get a point when they don’t play very well. We also remain unbeaten at home — a brilliant thing to be able to say. At the start of the season, I don’t think anyone would’ve predicted that we wouldn’t have lost a game at home during the first half of the season.
This unbeaten streak will definitely be tested on Thursday.
Manchester City dispatched us in the reverse fixture but we didn’t play terribly. We missed two good chances that could’ve changed the game and we were missing Reinildo, who would’ve been a better match for City winger Rayan Cherki. Sadly, Reinildo won’t be back in time to play on New Year’s Day, so it’ll be a big test for Cirkin, presuming he will play. Ballard also played a major role in stopping Erling Haaland, so fingers crossed he’s back in time.
Walking out of the stadium on Sunday, I overheard some fans talking about the next game. They described it as a “free hit” and said they would rest Enzo Le Fée, Granit Xhaka and Hume in order to avoid the yellow card suspension, but I totally disagree with this.
No game is a free hit — especially at home — and we have a duty to protect our unbeaten home streak. They’re one of the best teams in the world, but so are Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, who we’ve achieved brilliant results against this season. We’ve put in some great performances against the “Big Six” and we’ll need another one on Thursday. The fans will need to push the lads on ‘til the end — we fit this underdog role well and it motivates both the players and fans to turn up and cause an upset.
Overall, there were positives and negatives to take out of the Leeds game — some things to learn from and some things to build on.
Hopefully it benefits us ahead of the game on New Year’s Day and for the rest of the season.