Sunderland fined on Elland Road trip, Michael Beale gaffe, plus doubts over Chelsea man’s future
Moments you may have missed during Sunderland’s goalless draw with Leeds United at Elland Road.
Sunderland held automatic promotion chasers Leeds to a goalless draw at Elland Road – and there were plenty of talking points after the match.
The Black Cats recorded just 30 per cent possession but reduced Daniel Farke’s side to just one effort on target. Here are some of the moments you may have missed:
Sunderland given parking fine
Before the match, images emerged on social media of Sunderland’s first-team coach with a parking ticket. The coach was parked outside the Clayton Hotel, with a yellow sticker issued by Leeds City Council spotted on the windscreen.
Leeds’ Michael Beale gaffe
Sunderland boss Mike Dodds made two changes to his starting XI following the Black Cats’ goalless draw against Bristol City, with Timothee Pembele and Callum Styles replacing Adil Aouchiche and Leo Hjelde.
Yet on one of the big electric screens at Elland Road, under the words ‘head coach’ was the name ‘Michael Beale,’ who left Sunderland nearly two months ago after only 12 games in charge.
Chelsea loanee left out
There was only one change in Sunderland’s matchday squad as Abdoullah Ba returnedto the bench in place of Mason Burstow. The Chelsea loanee looks highly unlikely to return to Wearside next season, leaving question marks over how much he’ll be involved for the remainder of the campaign.
Ex-Sunderland forward left out of the squad
Leeds boss Daniel Farke named an unchanged side following his team’s 2-1 defeat at Coventry, while former Sunderland forward Joe Gelhardt wasn’t even named in the squad.
The 21-year-old, who has only made eight Championship appearances this season, was on the cover of Leeds’ matchday programme and spoke about his time on Wearside during a club interview.
“It was very beneficial for me,” said Gelhardt when discussing his time at Sunderland. “It is a great club, a massive club in fact, and I played a lot of games in a row. For a young player to go and do it in a tough league like the Championship is a great experience.”
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