Duo make Light work of Simon’s Black Cats

STRIKER Chris Wood watched from the stands as Leeds powered their way to three points against Simon Grayson’s Sunderland.

Goals from Samuel Saiz in the first half, and sub Stuart Dallas after the break, delivered a comfortable win for the visitors to keep their unbeaten start to the Championship season going.

But it was a first league defeat for the Black Cats.

Wood had ruled himself out of the Stadium of Light clash as a move to Burnley draws ever closer.

The New Zealand striker – who scored 30 goals last season – has been the subject of three bids from the Premier League side this summer.

It has been reported that the third has been accepted by Leeds and progress appears to have been made after Wood ruled himself out of yesterday’s game.

“Due to strong interest from a Premier League team, the ongoing discussions with the club, and given it has always been my ambition to play at the highest level, I don’t feel it is right that I play,” he said on Twitter.

Leeds signed Wood from Leicester in the summer of 2015 for £3million.

They could get five times as much back with Burnley’s third bid said to be worth north of £15m.

And Leeds certainly did not miss the powerful Kiwi’s presence for their early-evening trip to the north east.

Sunderland had begun the day level on points with Leeds with five from a possible nine, but they were missing a cutting edge in the final third.

The Black Cats’ best effort came in the first half, as Lewis Grabban’s effort was headed off the line and on to the crossbar by Liam Cooper.

Instead it was the visitors who went in front in the 21st minute, Saiz’s crisp low finish across the keeper giving Leeds the advantage at half-time.

And it was doubled when Dallas – on for Caleb Ekuban – headed in Saiz’s secondhalf cross to secure a second league win from their first four games for Thomas Christiansen’s men.