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Jobe Bellingham header clinches Sunderland victory as Leeds United unbeaten run halted

Sunderland beat Leeds United at the Stadium of Light thanks to Jobe Bellingham's header inside the final 15 minutes

Sunderland's Jobe Bellingham heads the only goal of the game against Leeds United at the Stadium of Light
Sunderland's Jobe Bellingham heads the only goal of the game against Leeds United at the Stadium of Light(Image: Getty Images)

Jobe Bellingham scored the only goal of the game as Sunderland beat Leeds United to make it two wins out of two for interim head coach Mike Dodds. Dodds oversaw the Black Cats' weekend home win over play-off rivals West Bromwich Albion, and his team delivered another excellent performance at the Stadium of Light to end third-placed Leeds' seven game unbeaten run.


The Black Cats missed three good chances in the first half, with Jenson Seelt seeing one effort blocked and another saved by Illan Meslier, while Bellingham sent a header wide when he should have scored. In the second half, ex-Leeds defender Niall Huggins drew another save out of Meslier.


But Bellingham scored the all-important goal 12 minutes from time, heading home from a couple of yards out as Alex Pritchard clocked up another assist to add to the two he provided against the Baggies at the weekend. The win means Sunderland stay sixth in the table, and are now a point clear of seventh-place.


Dodds made three changes to the side that started the weekend win against West Brom, with Pritchard, Seelt, and Abdoullah Ba replacing Adil Aouchiche, Pierre Ekwah, and Patrick Roberts, and he also switched system to three at the back. Leeds boss Daniel Farke made one change to the side that won at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday with former Middlesbrough man Djed Spence replacing the injured Sam Byram.

Leeds had an early opportunity when they won a free-kick just outside the left corner of the box and Crysensio Summerville curled it towards the far post, but Anthony Patterson was alert to the danger and touched it wide for a corner. After that. the visitors dominated possession in the first half but it was Sunderland who created the better opportunities.

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Pritchard flashed a shot narrowly wide of the right-hand post from the edge of the area midway through the half. Around the half-hour mark, Sunderland fashioned two big chances from set-pieces and both fell to Seelt.

First a foul on Jack Clarke gave them a free-kick on the left, Pritchard's delivery caused panic in the Leeds defence and eventually the ball fell to Seelt at the far post but his close-range shot was blocked. A minute later, a Pritchard corner from the right was met by Seelt with a firm header but this time the Dutchman was denied by an excellent save from Meslier, diving to his right to claw it away.

And Sunderland had another great opportunity from a set-piece eight minutes before the break when another Pritchard corner from the right this time found Bellingham unmarked, but he directed his free header wide of the left-hand post. Clarke was giving right-back Gray the runaround, and shortly before half-time he cut in from the left and got into the box but could only send his right-foot shot over the bar.


In the early minutes of the second half Meslier was called into action again, this time diving low to his right to push away a shot from Huggins. Leeds had a chance on the break when a Sunderland corner broke down inside the final 20 minutes, as hesitant defending from Clarke allowed Summerville to race through but his low shot from the edge of the area was straight at Patterson.

Sunderland kept plugging away looking for a breakthrough, and it finally came on 78 minutes. Huggins advanced on the box down the right, he played the ball back to Dan Neil whose cross was headed out by a defender only as far as Pritchard on the edge of the area, he instinctively headed it back towards goal where the unmarked Bellingham nodded past Meslier from close range.

Leeds piled on the pressure in the closing stages and Trai Hume made a crucial goalline clearance to deny Joel Piroe, as Sunderland hung to claim all three points.


How they lined up

Sunderland: Patterson, Seelt (Ekwah 71), Ballard, O'Nien, Hume, Neil, Bellingham, Huggins, Ba (Roberts 59), Pritchard (Dack 90), Clarke. Subs not used: Bishop, Burstow, Mayenda, Rusyn, Aouchiche, Triantis

Booked: O'Nien


Leeds United: Meslier, Gray, Rodon, Struijk, Spence (Joseph 81), Ampadu, Kamara (Bamford 81), James (Anthony 75), Piroe, Summerville, Rutter (Gnonto 75). Subs not used: Darlow, Ayling, Cooper, Gelhardt, Gruev

Booked: Gray, Ampadu, James

Referee: Dean Whitestone (Northamptonshire)

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