Sunderland hearts were broken in the final minute of the game against Leeds United, but Gary Bennett believes the Black Cats lost the game long before that.
Despite taking the lead in the first half completely against the run of play thanks to a superb effort from Wilson Isidor, Sunderland were unable to hold onto their advantage.
Regis Le Bris’ men succumbed to a Pascal Struijk brace, with the Leeds substitute twice heading in from set-pieces. His winning goal came in the 95th minute.
Plenty has been said about why Sunderland lost, with fans blaming Le Bris’ tactics more than anything. But, according to Gary Bennett, there was one thing the players did that cost them the game.
Sunderland were poor in possession vs Leeds United
Speaking to the BBC about the match, the Sunderland legend highlighted the Black Cats’ poor use of possession as the key factor in their downfall on the night.
Bennett said: “We kept giving the ball away, it looked like Leeds were more likely to get that goal because we kept giving [the ball] to them.
“You’ve got to give credit to Leeds, they came out after half time and dominated, but there was one or two tired legs in that Sunderland team and we kept giving the ball back to them.”
| Leeds | Statistic | Sunderland |
| 66% | Possession | 34% |
| 1.96 | xG | 0.50 |
| 4 | Shots on target | 6 |
| 6 | Shots off target | 0 |
| 1 | Big chances | 0 |
| 624 | Passes | 334 |
Indeed, Sunderland had a measly 34% of possession compared to Leeds United’s 66% throughout the game. Leeds also made 624 passes compared to Sunderland’s 334, which shows just how dominant and restrictive the Whites were on the night.
Daniel Farke certainly thought his team deserved the win, and in truth, he’s probably right.
- READ MORE: Gary Bennett shares updated promotion verdict and rues Sunderland ‘habit’ after Leeds United defeat
Where do Sunderland go from here after Leeds defeat?
Yes, the defeat was a disappointing one. But, in reality, no one truly expected Sunderland to get anything against a Leeds side who are clearly too good for the Championship this year.
The Black Cats still have plenty to play for with 13 games to go this season. The title may be a stretch too far, and it does look like Leeds and Sheffield United are the most likely to secure the top two spots, but it’s all about maintaining momentum going into the play-offs now for Sunderland.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 33 | 21 | 9 | 3 | 68 | 20 | 48 | 72 |
| 2 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 33 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 47 | 23 | 24 | 70 |
| 3 |  BurnleyBurnley | 33 | 17 | 14 | 2 | 39 | 9 | 30 | 65 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 33 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 50 | 30 | 20 | 62 |
| 5 |  BlackburnBlackburn | 33 | 15 | 6 | 12 | 39 | 31 | 8 | 51 |
| 6 |  West BromWest Brom | 33 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 42 | 31 | 11 | 48 |
What Le Bris will not want to happen is for Sunderland to get to those make-or-break play-off games and find that they’ve become stagnant while treading water in fourth place, knowing that no team below them can really catch them.
Neil Warnock told Le Bris to pick his team up and ensure spirits remain high after this defeat, and he’s absolutely spot on. They cannot afford to get complacent or to lick their wounds for too long, as the next game will come around very quickly, and they have to bounce back with a win.