SUNDERLAND ......................................................... 0 Unbeaten run ends for Cats as potshots fail to pay off

SUNDERLAND’S unbeaten start to life in the Championship came to an end at the Stadium of Light as Leeds United cruised to victory.

Samu Saiz scored the first goal and made the second for sub Stuart Dallas, as Simon Grayson saw one of his former clubs inflict the Black Cats’ first defeat.

Sunderland had gone into the match on the back of a three-game unbeaten run in the league but Grayson has yet to win on home soil.

The Black Cats had delivered impressive performances in the run-up to this game, but they were well below-par against a Leeds side which quickly identified left-back Brendan Galloway as the weak link in the Sunderland defence and took full advantage.

It might have been different had Lewis Grabban’s shot found the net in the first half, but defender Liam Cooper headed it on to the woodwork and the game changed almost immediately as Leeds took the lead.

Grayson named the same starting XI for a fourth successive game, opting to stick with the same lineup that has seen Sunderland pick up five points from the first three games, rather than make changes.

Leeds boss Thomas Christiansen made two changes to the side that fought out a goalless draw at home to Fulham in midweek.

Last season’s 27-goal Championship top scorer Chris Wood was left at home in a clear sign that his move to Burnley is edging closer, and his place was taken by Caleb Ekuban.

The second change saw skipper Cooper come into the side in place of Conor Shaughnessy, who dropped to the bench.

Sunderland started strongly, with Lamine Kone and Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips battle for the ball Grabban inches away from connecting with a Galloway cross inside the six yard box with five minutes on the clock, and soon after Leeds defender Pontus Jansson made a vital block as James Vaughan pulled the trigger inside the box.

But the balance of the game shifted in the space of 60 seconds midway through the half.

First Grabban linked up well with Vaughan, but when the ball came back to the on-loan Bournemouth man, he saw his shot headed up on to the bar by Leeds skipper Cooper on the goalline.

And almost immediately Leeds went downfield and took the lead.

Pablo Hernandez got between Galloway and Lamine Kone too easily on the right, and fed the ball into the path of Saiz as he arrived in the penalty area, with the Spaniard drilling his low finish across Jason Steele and inside the far post.

The goal rocked Sunderland and Leeds took control of the game, and could have added to their advantage Billy Jones looks dejected (above) before half-time. Hernandez headed over the bar from a Saiz cross, and Ezgjan Alioski should have done better after he got in behind Galloway on the right as Leeds hit Sunderland on the counterattack, but could only drag his shot wide of the target from the edge of the box.

Sunderland were reduced to taking potshots from range, with Vaughan and Didier Ndong both well off-target, while Lee Cattermole did at least force Felix Wiedwald into