
Leeds United’s brilliant 7-word Sunderland jibe after previous Illan Meslier post..
Leeds United got one over on their Championship promotion rivals with a dramatic comeback win.
Leeds United’s social media team were at it again on Tuesday morning with a brilliant jibe aimed towards Monday night opponents Sunderland.
Leeds came from behind to win 2-1 at Elland Road thanks to Pascal Struijk’s late double off the bench. The Dutch defender twice rose highest to head home a pair of enticing crosses from fellow substitute Joe Rothwell, the latter coming deep into added time.
Sunderland had gone 1-0 up through Wilson Isidor’s first-half finish and looked set to end a 13-game unbeaten home run, but fell victim to the pressure of their hosts inside a fervent Elland Road. And few will have enjoyed the victory as much as Illan Meslier.
The Leeds goalkeeper endured a torrid night at the Stadium of Light back in October, inexplicably allowing a harmless looping ball to escape him as Sunderland drew level in the seventh minute of added-time. The Black Cats rubbed salt in the wound after nicking a point, posting a video of the error on X and writing: “Not really sure what to caption this’.
Subscribe to Inside Elland Road, with Graham Smyth for unique, behind-the-scenes Leeds United coverage, expert analysis and exclusive interviews
That mistake was clearly fresh in the minds of Sunderland’s travelling support, who goaded Meslier during a prolonged period in which their side were ahead. But after Struijk’s late winner, the Whites goalkeeper was pictured cupping his ears towards the away end and Leeds’ social media team hit back in hilarious fashion.
The club uploaded their own picture to X, with Struijk and Piroe celebrating the former’s winner while another teammate – possibly Joe Rodon, although it is hard to tell – is laying flat out on the turf. And alongside the jubilant snap, they wrote: “Not really sure what to caption this’.
Those incredible scenes carried through to the full-time whistle and beyond as Leeds celebrated their return to the top of the Championship. Things briefly threatened to boil over as opposition players clashed but Farke’s men quickly moved on to enjoy the moment with their fans.
Willy Gnonto and Ao Tanaka were spotted dancing around together in front of the South Stand as the Kaiser Chiefs’ ‘I Predict A Riot’ belted out, while Farke enjoyed his customary interaction with all four parts of the Elland Road stands. Struijk also got involved and received plenty of love from his teammates – not least Meslier.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Rothwell told LUTV of those post-match celebrations. “I don’t think there’s been many games this season where it’s been a full house for so long after full-time. You can see how much it meant to us and the fans too, so it gives us a good building block going into another massive game on Monday.”
Leeds are now two points clear of Sheffield United and seven clear of Burnley in third, with focus quickly turning to next week’s massive trip to Bramall Lane. A Yorkshire derby victory would put Farke’s side into an incredibly strong position as the promotion run-in edges towards a conclusion.