Sunderland beat Leeds 1-0 with a second-half penalty

Sunderland beat Leeds 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, and a penalty awarded in the second half settled the match. BBC Sport carried the result under the headline "Second-half penalty seals victory."

The home side came into the game in a tough spot. They were bottom of the Premier League, England's top division, after taking four points from their first seven league games of the 2026-27 season. A win is worth three points, so this one moved them well away from the bottom places they had been stuck in. Kick-off was at 4.30pm, and the match was the last Premier League fixture of the weekend.

Sunderland lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. That means four defenders, two holding midfielders, three attacking players and a lone striker. Brobbey led the line, with Xhaka and Sadiki sitting in front of the back four.

Leeds set out in a 3-4-2-1. They had three central defenders, a row of four in midfield, two players just behind the striker and Calvert-Lewin up front on his own. Leeds have not been able to get the better of Sunderland at this ground often enough to build a rivalry, and this was only the third Premier League meeting between the two clubs since 2002.

Both clubs have a link to the past few seasons. Sunderland and Leeds both returned to the Premier League and avoided relegation, the drop into the second tier, last season. Stuart Attwell was the referee, and The Guardian's live blog, written by Rob Smyth, followed the action minute by minute.

For Sunderland, the result is the clearest sign yet that the early struggles may be easing. For Leeds, it is a defeat away from home that leaves them with work to do. Both managers will now have a week to look at what worked and what did not.