Sunderland vs Leeds player ratings: James Trafford earns 8 as Brobbey is denied in windy stalemate

← Back to Match CentreSunderland v Leeds

James Trafford earns Dave.Sport’s highest mark after four saves, including two to deny Brian Brobbey, as Sunderland and Leeds drew 0-0 at the Stadium of Light.

Robin Roefs kept Sunderland level at the other end, saving Sean Longstaff’s long-range effort in the 90th minute. Neither side found a convincing finish, and the strong wind made an already physical contest harder to control, as detailed in the Yorkshire Post’s match report.

Sunderland player ratings

The defensive assessments draw on incidents detailed in Roker Report’s match coverage.

Robin Roefs — 7
Spilled Ao Tanaka’s shot to give Dominic Calvert-Lewin a late opening, but recovered to save from Longstaff in the 90th minute. A late intervention that protected the point.

Trai Hume — 7
Strong in the tackle and gave Leeds little encouragement down his side.

Nordi Mukiele — 6
Competed effectively before being replaced by Omar Alderete after 52 minutes.

Luke O’Nien — 7
Dealt with Calvert-Lewin’s runs in behind and helped Sunderland keep a clean sheet in difficult conditions.

Reinildo Mandava — 6
Restricted Harry Wilson, although some uncertain touches complicated his defensive work.

Granit Xhaka — 7
Protected the defence and helped Sunderland stay competitive in midfield as conditions worsened.

Noah Sadiki — 7
His recovery work stood out, including a vital interception of a dangerous cross.

Chris Rigg — 6
Reached a promising shooting position but delayed long enough for Leeds to intervene, with Jaka Bijol blocking on the hour.

Enzo Le Fée — 7
Four key passes underline his contribution. Sunderland’s finishing failed to reward that supply.

Nilson Angulo — 7
His curling effort tested Trafford, and he drew the foul that earned Ethan Ampadu an early booking. Offered a clearer individual threat than most.

Brian Brobbey — 6
Back from the injury he picked up on international duty, he tested Trafford twice in the first half but could not beat him.

Sunderland substitutes

Omar Alderete — 7
Made important defensive clearances after replacing Mukiele.

Tymur Tutierov — 6
Added running without supplying the missing finish.

Chemsdine Talbi — 6
Threatened immediately, but his late run was stopped by a well-timed tackle and he wasted a late corner.

Habib Diarra — NR
Insufficient involvement to justify a firm mark.

Leeds player ratings

The Yorkshire Evening Post’s reporting documents Trafford’s saves and the contrasting performances ahead of him.

James Trafford — 8
Turned Brobbey’s early effort around the post and rushed off his line to smother him again after 26 minutes. Two more saves around the hour secured a clean sheet and our player-of-the-match verdict.

James Justin — 6
Handled difficult wide opponents in Angulo and Le Fée reasonably well, with limited attacking influence.

Jaka Bijol — 6
Gave the ball away early and was involved in the mix-up with Wilson that let Brobbey in, but recovered with a sturdy block to deny Rigg and defended a one-on-one against Talbi well.

Tarik Muharemović — 7
Resilient defensively, and his header from a corner was Leeds’ first shot on target. Not entirely secure when distributing under pressure.

Jayden Bogle — 6
Reached useful attacking positions without delivering the final pass.

Ethan Ampadu — 5
Booked for a foul on Angulo inside half an hour and gave possession away unchallenged too often.

Ao Tanaka — 6
His shot forced Roefs into a spill, but possession was too easily surrendered elsewhere.

Gabriel Gudmundsson — 6
Some forward momentum, offset by space left behind him.

Harry Wilson — 5
His mix-up with Bijol nearly brought Sunderland a goal, and he offered little attacking compensation.

Brenden Aaronson — 5
One promising second-half combination could not disguise a limited attacking contribution.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin — 6
Troubled O’Nien with runs beyond him and had Leeds’ best late opening after Roefs spilled Tanaka’s shot, but could not take it.

Leeds substitutes

Anton Stach — 6
Offered an additional passing outlet after coming on in the 65th minute.

Noah Okafor — 5
Came on alongside Stach and had the best stoppage-time opening, but blazed over.

Sean Longstaff — 7
Forced Roefs into a 90th-minute save within a minute of coming on, and came close to deciding the match.

For the selection context, see our coverage of Calvert-Lewin’s fitness before the match and Kevin Danso’s suspension.

← Back to Match CentreSunderland v Leeds