Dominic Calvert-Lewin extended his remarkable scoring run to six consecutive Premier League games as Leeds United battled back to claim a 1-1 draw at Sunderland, in a contest that showcased why both of last season's promoted sides look more than capable of surviving at this level. The in-form striker swept home early in the second half to cancel out Simon Adingra's excellent first-half opener at a raucous Stadium of Light.
Sunderland, missing a clutch of key players through Africa Cup of Nations duty, injury and suspension, edged an action-packed first half and passed up chances to put the game out of Leeds' reach before the interval. Daniel Farke's team, reshaped by an enforced tactical switch after Joe Rodon's injury, then dominated large swathes of the second half, but could not find a way past Robin Roefs again as the Black Cats preserved their unbeaten home record and the visitors stretched their own unbeaten league run to five matches.
Adingra answers critics as depleted Sunderland strike first
Regis Le Bris had spoken beforehand about the strain on his squad, with Sunderland deprived of six players to the Africa Cup of Nations and further weakened by the absence of influential centre-back Dan Ballard and the suspension of Luke O'Nien. Those gaps created opportunities for others. Dennis Cirkin made his first appearance of the campaign in place of Ballard, teenager Chris Rigg was handed a rare start and Trai Hume returned to his preferred role in defence. On the left flank, Adingra, left out of the Ivory Coast squad for this year's tournament despite being named Best Young Player at the 2023 edition, was given another chance to revive a frustrating start to life on Wearside.