Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke revealed that goalkeeper Illan Meslier was "in tears" following his costly mistake, which denied Leeds a win at Sunderland.

In the 97th minute of Friday's match, with the minimum six minutes of added time already exceeded, the French goalkeeper misjudged Alan Browne’s speculative ball into the penalty area, allowing it to slip past him and secure Sunderland a 2-2 draw.

A victory would have seen Leeds draw level on points with Championship leaders Sunderland, but instead, they remain three points adrift in third place.

“After something like that, you don’t need to say anything to Illan; he is the saddest person in the dressing room, practically in tears,” Farke said.

A Cruel Bounce?

Farke, reflecting on his 30 years in football, admitted he had never seen such an incident occur, especially with what was effectively the last touch of the match.

The Leeds manager suggested that captain Pascal Struijk had witnessed an awkward bounce in front of the goalkeeper, which may have caused Meslier to miss the ball. However, Farke could not confirm whether a rogue divot on the pitch was responsible for his injury-hit side dropping two crucial points at the Stadium of Light, following an otherwise impressive performance.

“After a situation like that, you don’t need to discuss it – nobody wants to hear anything,” he added.

“Pascal came over and said he had never seen anything like it. He mentioned that the ball bounced and changed direction because of a mark on the pitch.

“I can’t say for certain, as I wasn’t on the pitch, but Pascal was probably in the best position to see. If that’s what happened, it was unbelievably unfortunate.

“To lose points in such a manner is heart-wrenching, horrendous, and truly disappointing for the lads.”

Sympathy from Le Bris

Meslier, who came through the Lorient academy in his native France, was previously coached by Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris. The Sunderland boss spoke to his former goalkeeper after the match and expressed sympathy for the young Frenchman.

“I’m disappointed for him because I know him well, and anyone can make a mistake,” Le Bris said.

“For a goalkeeper, when you make an error, the consequences can be severe. It happened today, and while we are happy with the result, I feel for him.”