sport news Leeds 0-0 Sunderland: Daniel Farke's Whites miss out on chance to claim top ... trends now Leeds gain a point to move into second after their goalless draw with Sunderland Could Erik ten Hag find himself back at Ajax? Listen to the It's All Kicking Off podcast By Dominic King Published: 21:59 BST, 9 April 2024 | Updated: 22:00 BST, 9 April 2024 Viewcomments No goals, no penalty, no perfect 10. Leeds may have nudged themselves back into the automatic promotion places but this was not a night for celebration. Frustrated from start to finish by a Sunderland team that worked themselves to a standstill, Leeds huffed and puffed but should have been given the opportunity to decide a contest that left their fans howling from 12 yards. Where was VAR when they needed it? As it was, referee Tim Robinson failed to see a handball by Sunderland skipper Luke O’Nien in the 76th minute and, with that, Daniel Farke’s men were denied the possibility of extending their relentless winning run at home to a tenth match. Stadiums don’t come more inspirational than Elland Road under the lights but, equally, stadiums don’t come with more demands than when a Leeds crowd is impatient and it was clear early on that Farke’s team were going to walk a fine line. Had their early pressure paid off, this old place would have been shaking but, instead, all the short, sharp passes Leeds wanted to play ended up being blocked off by Sunderland’s hard-working and well-organised ensemble. Leeds missed out on the chance to claim top spot but their point moves them up into second Patrick Bamford cuts a dejected figure after missing a chance in the first half at Elland Road MATCH FACTS AND LEAGUE TABLE LEEDS UNITED: (4-2-3-1) Meslier; Gray (Roberts 83), Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo; Gruev, Kamara (Gnonto 72); James (Piroe 82), Rutter, Summerville; Bamford (Joseph 83) Subs not used: Darlow (GK); Cresswell, Cooper, Anthony, Byram, Fernandez Goals: None Bookings: Kamara (69), Firpo (70) Coach: Daniel Farke SUNDERLAND: (4-2-3-1) Patterson; Hume, O'Nien, Ballard, Pembele; Ekwah, Neil; Rigg (Roberts 60), Styles, Clarke; Bellingham (Semedo 90+3) Subs not used: Bishop (GK); Mundle, Ba, Aouchiche, Hjelde, Alese, Dack Goals: None Bookings: Ballard (21), O'Nien (46), Rigg (58), Bellingham (62) Coach: Mike Dodds Referee: Tim Robinson (West Sussex) Venue: Elland Road Attendance: 36,793 Championship Premier League Championship League One League Two Scottish Premiership Scottish Div 1 Scottish Div 2 Scottish Div 3 Ligue 1 Serie A La Liga Bundesliga Advertisement Their kit – a combination of lilacs, pinks and blue – might have left you gasping with its garishness but the only thing Sunderland’s players were gasping from was the hard work they were putting in to ushering Leeds down dead ends. You could sense once the early storm had blown out that Sunderland fancied their chances of doing damage of their own and the shift in the pattern of the game was noticeable from the half-hour to half-time, with adventure creeping into the visitors’ play. Key to it all was Jack Clarke, dashing down the left wing with creativity and daring. He registered the first two shots on target of the evening, in the 33rd and 38th minutes, but they were just too close to Ilan Meslier to cause the Leeds’ keeper much anxiety. Farke had been deferential to Sunderland’s prospects ahead of the contest but, even still, he must have been anxious about the way his own team lacked the composure – the excellent Glen Kamara apart – where and when it mattered. This was never more apparent than in time added on, when Patrick Bamford wriggled away but flashed a cross beyond the six-yard box and missed every target. The growls and groans that accompanied the ball bouncing out of play said everything. Sunderland winger Jack Clarke has a shot at goal but it is saved by Leeds keeper Illan Meslier Jobe Bellingham attacks the Leeds goal in one of the rare attacks Sunderland had first half Leeds striker Bamford (left) goes down under the challenge of Sunderland's Daniel Ballard Georginio Rutter tries his luck at goal but his shot is saved inside the Sunderland box A similar pattern developed after the interval. Leeds were implored to go forward whenever possible, Sunderland remained resilient and came so close to inflicting maximum damage on the hour but Ethan Ampadu cut out a Clarke cross that was intended for Jobe Bellingham. Night such as these at this time of year are always riddled with tension and the longer it went without a goal, the more fraught the locals came. This, they knew, was no time to be dropping points with promotion on the line. Things did not turn out badly with Millwall beating Leicester but things could have been so much better had Leeds possessed a little more composure. Instead, it was one of those evenings that could have gone into morning and they would still not have scored. No matter – nothing was going to be decided here and there is plenty more mileage in this race. Now it is about holding their nerve. Football League ChampionshipPatrick Bamford Read more: Share or comment on this article: Leeds 0-0 Sunderland: Daniel Farke's Whites miss out on chance to claim top spot in the Championship as they drop two points in goalless stalemate with Black Cats All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility