Moments can decide seasons. When Ilia Gruev took one too many steps to his right at Loftus Road last April, it paved the way for Ilias Chair to cut in and curl home an eighth-minute opener for Queens Park Rangers. The timing and ease of that goal — at a point when Leeds United were already creaking during the 2023-24 run-in — virtually condemned their top-two hopes.
That match went on to finish 4-0 on a night when the hosts confirmed their safety from relegation. As much as that moment blew up last season, there was another moment on Monday night which may come to define this season’s retort from Daniel Farke’s men.
Twelve seconds remained of the five minutes referee Stuart Attwell had stuck on the end at Elland Road. Leeds were drawing 1-1 with Sunderland and Joe Rothwell had the fate of the entire club on the end of his boot with what was the final attack of the night. Most right-thinking members of society would have, understandably, accepted a rush of blood to their heads and frantically stuck the ball back in the mixer as fast as possible.
Rothwell is no ordinary member of society, though. At the end of the night, Farke said: “Joe is a pure baller. With a ball, (he is) one of the best players in this country. If you enjoy football, you enjoy watching Joe Rothwell playing football because what he does, especially with his right foot — in terms of passing, in terms of his technique, in terms of his tidy touches — is outstanding.”
About that right foot. Rothwell had the presence of mind and composure to move the ball from his right to his left. He did not take the frantic cross on his stronger foot. Instead, he turned, sent Enzo Le Fee, Sunderland’s marquee January addition, into next week and bought a priceless yard.
It was a yard of space that millions of Leeds fans around the world might come to remember if they are asked to recall a promotion-winning 2024-25 campaign over the years to come. In an effort to then best his first assist of the night, Rothwell curled — left-footed — another diamond delivery to the goal line. Pascal Struijk did the rest.
Struijk is mobbed by his Leeds team-mates after his two goals against Sunderland (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
There will not be many double substitutions — Rothwell and Struijk were brought on in the 71st minute — that have made that kind of impact for Farke in his career. He was quick, with a smile, to point out the goals Wilfried Gnonto and Mateo Joseph scored from the bench in the recent Cardiff City rout, but he was barely serious and those introductions are not in the same stratosphere.
LUFCData, the Leeds-focused statistics account, says this was the very first instance when two goals were scored and assisted by the same two substitutes in a single match in the club’s history.
It was a night when Leeds were not at the shimmering levels they had shown previously in 2025. They were patient and went through their usual cycles, but Sunderland were organised and defended well.
In the first half, there were 10 shots, but only one on target and it was effectively a pass to Anthony Patterson in the Sunderland goal. Mercifully, Illan Meslier had started well with a crucial double-save from Jobe Bellingham and Patrick Roberts inside the opening two minutes. Ethan Ampadu, on an uncharacteristically poor night, was outmuscled and rolled by Wilson Isidor in the crucial moment of the first period, with the Frenchman firing the visitors ahead.
Leeds improved after the break, even before the substitutes. Sunderland began to look stretched and strained, United’s superior conditioning shone through. Openings were coming, dribbles went further, more free kicks were being won — but still, Patterson was not being peppered.
Gruev’s set pieces had frustrated all night. Rothwell was an immediate breath of fresh air. Struijk did what Struijk has always done in both boxes at Elland Road. Post-match, Joe Rodon put it best: “Like everyone sees, set pieces can be the difference and Pascal’s an absolute head magnet. For him to score two goals tonight is unbelievable.”
Struijk has so frequently been the difference for Leeds in dead-ball situations. Stretching back to Marcelo Bielsa’s tenure, hundreds of corners and free kicks have fallen by the wayside because of poor delivery or poor headers. Struijk’s repeatedly been the man propping up that route to goal.
Farke celebrates Struijk’s late winner (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
His absence has been the elephant in the room over recent weeks, too. The vice-captain has been the one substitute everyone has been waiting to be returned to the line-up. Ampadu had been solid in defence and Farke’s had an embarrassment of riches in the engine room. There had been no need to rush a recovering Struijk back into the spotlight. You can be sure he starts at Bramall Lane next week, though.
That’s a match, against second-placed Sheffield United on February 24, which only grows with anticipation now. A loss last night would have been hard to swallow for what Farke repeatedly calls an emotional fanbase. A draw would have been decent after trailing for so long yet dampening after so many recent goals and wins. The victory, though, and in these circumstances, is like rocket fuel. Leeds could play that Sheffield United game today and do the full 90 minutes justice.
Momentum is an inadequate word to describe what Leeds will feel in training this week. Monday’s win also extends an unbeaten league run to 15 games which, ironically, matches last term’s best stretch. It’s a sequence which seems to have done for Sunderland, in terms of matching Leeds’ pace, too. Regis Le Bris’s side have been unable to live with Farke’s outfit since November 30, when Leeds last lost in the league (at Blackburn Rovers).
While Leeds have taken 37 from an available 45 points, Sunderland, who themselves only suffered their second defeat on that run last night, have taken 29. The gap is now 10 points and it is hard to see how they can now reel in the current leaders. They may still have remote hopes of catching Sheffield United but even eight points feels like a leap.
Is this even a three-horse race for the title anymore? Burnley’s pair of dropped points at the weekend sees them seven back on Leeds. Anyone with a history of closely following Leeds will know nobody does a meltdown like them, but this feels so close for Farke’s side now. Sustaining their current points-per-game ratio would see the leaders finish the season with 100 points.
Perhaps the clearest sign of this win’s significance came from the technical area. Even Farke, normally the coolest character in the building, let his mask slip when Struijk thundered home. As the home dugout emptied, he allowed himself onto the field in celebration, slipping onto his backside in the process. A yellow card followed for his encroachment and he is now expected to serve a touchline ban at Bramall Lane next Monday. That is some price to pay.
Yet this was a moment for Farke, just as it was for Struijk, Rothwell and 30,000-plus Leeds supporters. You have to enjoy them; the journey, not just the destination. However, the ultimate goal of promotion is one that chairman Paraag Marathe, watching on last night, must now feel is closer than ever.
(Top photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
