Following a productive trip down to Bournemouth, we scarcely had time to catch our breath before it was time for another away trip, this time in the opposite direction from the capital to Leeds. Last season’s late defeat at Elland Road was definitely one of the more scarring in recent times; I can’t listen to I Predict a Riot without grimacing at the memory of what felt like the whole of West Yorkshire rubbing our noses in our last-minute defeat.
Thankfully that result had little impact in the end,
and both clubs have performed admirably on our returns to the top flight, certainly compared with other promoted sides in recent years. Leeds fans have had a weird on-off beef with us this year, possibly after we apparently stole Diarra and Sadiki from under their noses in the summer, so it would be nice to get one over on them if possible, however tricky a task that might have appeared.
Like most fanbases Leeds seem to have a sizeable bipolar element; from August to early December Leeds fans were bemoaning their poor transfer business and resigning themselves to relegation, but since then, you’d think they’ve been an all-conquering machine that Don Revie himself would be proud of, sweeping all before them. In reality, they’ve simply been a well-organised outfit who’ve made the most of their home form to enjoy a more than respectable season, much like ourselves, and it had the makings of an intense and closely fought contest.
Thankfully, there was far less riding on this fixture for us than there was last season. This game seems destined to be a permanent midweek affair, which does make sense given the relative ease of travel between the two cities, but is still an annoying recurrence for those of us journeying from further afield. Mind you, we made it back from Bournemouth by half five in the afternoon last weekend, so it’s a case of swings and roundabouts.
I felt like the only passenger on the LNER service from King’s Cross not clad in some combination of white, yellow and blue, so the home fans were clearly up for this one. After a couple of pre-match ales in our usual haunts The Lamb and Flag and The Adelphi, the team news landed, and caused a few audible winces in the travelling contingent, not because we had no faith in the squad players to step up, but because of the quality of players we were missing. Roefs, Mukiele and Xhaka have been three of our lynchpins this season, and to be bereft of all three – the first two out of the squad altogether – was a tough pill to swallow.
Nonetheless, there’s something about these backs-against-the-wall scenarios that seems to bring the best out of Sunderland, both on and off the pitch, so we left our Uber at Elland Road in a defiant mood. If I’d had a quid for every time I’d heard the phrase “under the lights” in the last few days I’d be booking my flights to Tennessee for pre-season now, but there clearly must be something in it, given Leeds’ long unbeaten run in midweek (even if most of those games would have been in the Championship, when they enjoyed a vastly superior wage bill to most other teams).
In a lively atmosphere under the aforementioned lights and us doing our best to drown out the strains of Marching on Together, the first half saw Sunderland defy our absentee list to produce a disciplined defensive display, restricting Leeds to hopeful crosses and set pieces. Ellborg looked steady and commanded his box well, even if there were a couple of unconvincing moments playing it out from the back, but you could chalk those up to debut nerves. Leeds probably should have been awarded a penalty after some handling antics by O’Nien, but we were definitely due some luck with the officials after the shambles at Bournemouth on Saturday.
The second half saw more of the same, with Leeds creating very little of note until Rodon’s header smashed in off the bar. The home fans to our right set off their flares, took up their positions to goad us, and we braced ourselves for another night of Kaiser Chiefs-themed boasting. Thankfully, VAR stepped up to correctly rule their effort out, and things got even better when the now customary “After review…” speech led to us claiming a spot kick. We’ve had a patchy record from penalties in the last couple of seasons, and Diarra’s was hardly convincing, but it just about squirmed past ex-Mag Darlow and sparked off some brilliant scenes in the away end.
Despite what felt like another eternity of injury time conjured from nothing, we held on to secure a fantastic win, and reach the hallowed 40-point target with nine games to spare, and the fans and squad could celebrate in unison. It might not have been as dramatic as the play-off wins or as convincing as the opening day win over West Ham, but that night at Elland Road felt like a seminal moment in our club’s long rise back to where it should be. Even the most pessimistic of fans must surely be casting their eyes upwards instead of down.
As we walked back to the city centre with a spring in our step, news filtered through that we’d be facing the delights of a Sunday morning trip to Port Vale rather than heading to Bristol as anticipated, which gives us a great opportunity to push forward in the cup and make this already great season into something truly special.
