Leeds United 0 Sunderland 0: Sea gets rougher for Daniel Farke as Whites produce jaded display - and also have no luck after failure to award late penalty

Fast forward almost 51 years and the odds on another Wearsiders’ victory against an upwardly-mobile Leeds side in their latest meeting weren’t quite as long as on that famous afternoon at the home of football.

But in the context of the Championship’s captivating automatic promotion story of 2023-24, a Sunderland win would certainly have constituted a seismic moment - at Leeds’ expense.

In the event, it ended in a draw and that was a surprise enough. An unwelcome one.

Leeds’s form after the international break continues to be stodgy and the main positive on the night was another shock in terms of Leicester’s defeat at Millwall.

It was not an occasion for United’s much-vaunted attack, with Daniel Farke possibly having a big selection call or two for the weekend.

The Leeds chief spoke about getting the best out of himself when the ‘sea is rough’. Well, things have just got a tad choppier.

On an evening when Leeds were chasing a tenth successive home win in the top-two divisions for the first time, they were well off their high standards.

That said, they should have been afforded a lifeline in the final quarter when Sunderland captain Luke O’Nien failed to be penalised for a clear handball. Leeds might have got away with a dodgy night then, but didn’t.

A meagre return of one win in their previous 10 matches and status as being the second worst side in the division’s latest 10-match form guide against a rival who were second, by contrast, suggested beforehand that Sunderland were on a bit of a hiding to nothing in truth.

As most observers have no doubt realised, the Championship can be a strange beast at times.

The team who had the tempo and the conviction were in Sunderland jerseys in the first half with Leeds - fresh from their surprise weekend loss at Coventry - looking off colour and leggy, with their passing too lateral and their intensity being worryingly passive.

Sunderland’s set-up without the ball in a five-man defence that included a full debutant in Timothee Pembele - with Barnsley loanee Callum Styles deployed as a left wingback on the opposite flank to Pembele - worked very nicely indeed from their perspective.

Not having a centre forward did not particularly stymie them either as they had a weapon out wide in the shape of a player well versed with Elland Road in Jack Clarke.

Defensively, the Wearsiders clogged up the spaces in which Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter and Dan James like to operate in a half in which the hosts mustered no so much as an effort on target.

When Leeds had opportunities from corners, there was little threat, while the options taken in open play often were not the best, a case in point being a poor decision from Patrick Bamford just before the break with Sunderland looking in danger with keeper Anthony Patterson out of his goal.

Summerville got away from his main marker in Trai Hume just the once, cutting inside in that elegant way in which he can before firing wide. A rasper from Rutter flew just over, but in truth there was little else from those in white shirts, attacking the Kop in the first period - in a desperately disappointing offering.

The one consolation is that they did not trail.

Sunderland’s young guns grew in confidence as United’s gun players were subdued.

Once of these parts, Clarke had his moments and posed more problems for Archie Gray as the half transpired.

Chris Rigg, a mere slip of a lad at 16, fired one crisp shot over before Clarke wriggled away from Gray before the alert Illan Meslier blocked his effort with his legs.

Earlier, Clarke had headed over following a well-struck cross from Pembele.

One hope for Leeds was Sunderland defender Daniel Ballard, booked after a couple of fouls on Bamford and pushing his luck if the misdemeanours continued.

On the redemption, the onus was on Leeds to show their true selves in a 2024 which has been pretty stellar, aside from a blip at the weekend.

Leeds needed the oxygen from their crowd, but also needed to give them something to buy into on the restart.

The opening sparings of the second half did not overly hint at change, with several home substitutes soon told to warm up and do a few stretches.

Those on the pitch may just have realised.

Leeds upped it, thankfully. Appeals for a penalty were sound after Ballard nudged over James after he burst into the box - but the Leeds player had unfortunately just drifted offside and the flag was raised.

The ball then almost broke for Summerville before he found Rutter, who fired over at the near post under pressure.

At the other end, excellent covering from Ampadu - who shrugged off a bout of illness to start - cleared Clarke's dangerous centre and atone for his earlier loose pass.

Leeds were edging closer. After Jobe Bellingham’s crude foul on James, Summerville’s well-flighted free-kick into the side-netting instead of the near post.

Farke resisted the urge for replacements at this stage.

Wilfried Gnonto eventually got the call on 71 minutes, shortly after Meslier was called into action to turn away Patrick Roberts’ free-kick after Junior Firpo was penalised for a trip on Hume.

Sunderland then had a major reprieve as the clock started to tick when O’Nien was not penalised for a clear handball in the box after challenging Rodon in the air following a corner. Home players were aghast and Farke was also non-plussed.

More changes arrived at the game moved into the final 10 minutes of normal time.

The narrative did not shift. There was no winner.

Leeds United: Meslier; Gray (Roberts 83), Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo; Gruev, Kamara (Gnonto 72); James (Piroe 82), Rutter, Summerville; Bamford (Joseph 82). Unused substitutes: Darlow, Cresswell, Cooper, Anthony, Byram.

Sunderland: Patterson; Pembele (Alese 68), Hume, Ballard, O’Nien, Styles; Rigg (Roberts 59) Ekwah, Neil, Clarke, Bellingham (Semedo 90+4). Unused substitutes: Bishop, Mundle, Ba, Aouchiche, Hjelde, Dack.

Referee: T Robinson (West Sussex).