Sunderland manager's top-two admission as double injury blow confirmed for Leeds United's promotion rivals — YEP 23/2/25

By Kyle Newbould

Defeat for Sunderland could see them fall further away from Championship leaders Leeds United come Monday.

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris admits the consequences of mistakes are ‘significant’ at the top of the Championship as his side dropped more points in the promotion race.

The Black Cats followed up Monday’s crushing late defeat at Leeds United with a 1-0 home loss against strugglers Hull City, with goalkeeper Anthony Patterson fumbling into his own net for the game’s only goal. Whites loanee Joe Gelhardt played a big role in the eventual winner, with his 18th-minute corner somehow going in via a combination of Patterson and Patrick Roberts.

Promotion-chasing Sunderland dominated possession but struggled to break down a resolute Hull side, with frustration evident inside the Stadium of Light as a second straight defeat became reality. The fourth-placed Black Cats remain 10 points behind table-topping Leeds, who face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Monday night, and Le Bris acknowledged the cost of his side’s mistakes at a time when the margin for error is so slim.

“It's a long journey with many games to play and I hope we can find some solutions,” Le Bris told the Sunderland Echo following his side’s defeat. “To be competitive in the top six is different to the middle of the table, where you can make mistakes and learn from them. But at this level, mistakes are different because the consequences are significant. We will have to manage this situation.

"The main question is the ambition, because we know to be at this level we will play many games. It's a new experience for some players, not the number of games but the number of games at this [high] level to be competitive at the top of the table. It's a new ambition and you have to sustain the level. It's not just the way you play the games but the way you train, the way you recover, the way you are connected with everything. I hope we'll get this reaction in the next few days."

Patterson’s early mistake put Sunderland on the back foot almost instantly and their first-half misery was compounded when star January loan signing Enzo Le Fee picked up an injury. The attacking midfielder was forced off at half-time with defender Dan Ballard also suffering an issue just minutes into the second half.

“Enzo’s problem is probably with his hamstrings,” Le Bris added. “We will have to see whether it is serious or not tomorrow. Dan Ballard has a similar issue. It is obviously disappointing, but I think the dynamic of the season is like that. You have players in, and players out. Romaine [Mundle] was in today, and that is good news, so we have to face up to these different challenges.

“We have a small group. That can be a positive, because everyone is really involved, but at the same time, when we have injuries, we know that we can have a bit of a lack of depth in certain positions. That is just the characteristic of the squad this year. There are positives and negatives, we just have to try to manage things properly.”