Regis Le Bris subs admission as Sunderland ‘didn’t find the solution’ to Leeds United changes
The Black Cats saw a late Pascal Struijk double deny them a memorable Elland Road win
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris admitted his side failed to deal with Leeds United’s second-half changes from the bench in Monday night’s cruel 2-1 defeat at Elland Road.
The Black Cats were good value for the one-goal lead, courtesy of Wilson Isidor’s first-half strike, but a late brace from Pascal Struijk gave Daniel Farke’s men a dramatic win and kept them on course for the Championship title. It leaves Sunderland ten points behind the league leaders, and eight adrift from Sheffield United in the second automatic promotion spot.
However, Le Bris’ men are well positioned for a play-off place, sitting 11 points clear of fifth-placed Blackburn as we head into the final quarter of the season. The match swung on some crucial changes in the second period, with Leeds bringing on Struijk and Joe Rothwell to change the flow of the game.
Sunderland’s decision to take off Chris Rigg, Patrick Roberts and goalscorer Isidor was slammed by exprienced Championship campaign Neil Warnock in the Sky Sports TV studios, and Le Bris admitted that the changes proved to be pivotal.
“It’s a shame to concede the second goal like we did at the end of the game,” he said. “We played a good first half and deserved to win 1-0 at half-time.
“But in the second half, they built strong momentum and it was really difficult to break their dynamic. Their subs were excellent as well and they were very good at the end of the game. We didn’t find the solution to slow down the game and with the crowd they had massive energy behind them. They deserved to win the second half. It’s very difficult for the players, for us and our fans but they were strong in the second half.
