Leeds United lessons learned vs Sunderland as Dominic Calvert-Lewin trumps Harry Kane record
Lessons learned from Leeds United’s 1-1 comeback draw against Sunderland.
Leeds United ended 2025 with another spirited fightback in coming from 1-0 down to draw 1-1 at Sunderland on Sunday. Dominic Calvert-Lewin finished a brilliant team move to cancel out Simon Adingra’s first-half opener and ensure the spoils were shared on Wearside.
Daniel Farke’s side dominated much of the second-half and could easily have won it, but they and Sunderland will settle for a hard-earned point on either side. Below are some of the YEP’s key talking points from the final game before we enter 2026.
Joe Rodon injury blow cost Leeds United
Farke named an unchanged XI from the side that battered Palace but was forced into a switch during the first-half, with Joe Rodon twice rolling his right ankle under a Sunderland challenge. The defender, ever a warrior, tried to battle through the pain on both occasions but it seems that pain handed Adingra his chance to make it 1-0.
Leeds cleared a long throw into the box but Rodon, clearly struggling, was a yard behind his teammates and just level with Adingra, who received Granit Xhaka’s pass to score. It's hard to assign blame to the Welshman for simply wanting to play on but it was an unfortunate situation, with Ao Tanaka coming on before the game restarted.
Formation tweak improvements
That change, with Tanaka replacing Rodon, saw Leeds revert to a back-four again and as is becoming common, they were able to flip between the two without skipping a beat. At Sunderland, be it due to the change of shape or Farke’s half-time hairdryer treatment, they looked much-improved with three in midfield, winning every first and second ball for much of the second-half.
For Leeds, their debate isn’t whether they are better in a back three or back four, rather they are equally dangerous in slightly different ways as part of each formation, and that is a constant cause of problems for opponents to manage. It’s exactly what Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris admitted caused problems for his side after full-time and something Farke must keep leaning into through 2026.
Fiery Daniel Farke sparks comeback
The spirit of Leeds’ comeback saw them become just the second team to take a point from Sunderland, having been behind at half-time - the others being title favourites Arsenal. And they could feasibly have become the first to turn defeat to victory in the second-half, had their dominance turned into further chances that were taken.
Brenden Aaronson provided an insight into the half-time picture and it wasn’t particularly pretty, with the American admitting Farke ‘laid into’ him and his teammates for a ‘lackadaisical’ opening 45. So often a calm head, the German’s decision to go into full hairdryer mode clearly worked as he saw his side win virtually every first and second ball after the break.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin betters Harry Kane run
It felt inevitable that if the Whites were to score, it would be by the boot or head of Calvert-Lewin. Sunday’s glancing finish was his seventh in six games, scoring in each and every one to become the first Leeds player in 65 years to find the net in six consecutive appearances - not since 1930 has someone bagged in seven and few would bet against him finding the net at Anfield on New Year’s Day.
It’s also worth noting that Harry Kane never managed to score in six straight Premier League games for Tottenham Hotspur, twice hitting five-in-a-row before drawing a blank. While this is no comparison between the two in terms of goalscoring records, it’s noteworthy given the increasing calls for Leeds’ in-form frontman to head to next summer’s tournament.