Adam Pope reacts to ‘incredible’ moment he saw in Leeds United win v Sunderland
Adam Pope was left in awe at an “incredible” moment he saw after Leeds United somehow beat Sunderland 2-1 on Monday.
Elland Road erupted as Pascal Struijk headed in his second goal with nearly the final touch of the 2-1 win over the Black Cats from an inch-perfect Joe Rothwell cross.
Daniel Farke’s men managed to cement their place at the top of the Championship table and have a two-point cushion over second-placed Sheffield United, who they face next Monday (24 February).
Speaking about the scenes after the game, Pope reacted to what he saw on the pitch and in the stands.
Adam Pope left aghast by what Leeds United did
Up until Struijk and Rothwell were brought on by Farke, it looked like Regis Le Bris’ men were going to get one over their promotion rivals as they sat 1-0 ahead.
However, even though some fans bemoaned Struijk being brought on, it could end up being one of the most important decisions that Farke has made this season.
The Whites seemed down and out but after their second goal went in, pandamonium rang around Elland Road, leaving Pope in awe of the West Yorkshire outfit’s fans.
“It’s an absolute party out there,” Pope said on the West Yorkshire Sport Daily Show (17 February). “This has a huge meaning for the bearing of the title and the promotion race, Leeds 2-1 Sunderland and what a pleasure to witness this right now.”
Neil Redfearn replied: “Yeah brilliant, brilliant performance, they did it through adversity, going a goal behind, they’ve shown real quality and real togetherness, the quality of Rothwell’s deliveries have been absolutely top-drawer and that’s been the difference.”
Pope then simply added: “Incredible”.
Daniel Farke needs to get Leeds United over one more major hurdle
Although the celebrations for Leeds’ late winner will no doubt carry on for the next few days, it feels like Farke needs to get his men refocused and ready to concentrate on their next Championship outing.
While the game against the Black Cats was no doubt an important one, next Monday’s against the Blades at Bramall Lane has even more riding on it.
If Chris Wilder’s men manage to beat the Elland Road outfit, the South Yorkshire side will make their way to the top of the table and have a one-point gap between themselves and Leeds.
However, if the Whites end up triumphing, it feels almost impossible that Leeds won’t have more or less guaranteed themselves automatic promotion, especially since third-placed Burnley are already seven points behind them.
Indeed, anything can happen in football but after their clash against Sheffield United, on paper, it feels like there’s only one or two more teams for Leeds to face who could cause a bit of a problem.
Only time will tell what the future holds but for now, the Whites’ fans should be focused on celebrating what went down against Sunderland, much like Pope was at the end of the clash.