Leeds aim sly dig at Sunderland over goalkeeper 'injury' as Daniel Farke suffers Man City deja vu

Leeds United's social media admin aimed a sly dig at Sunderland over a perceived case of time-wasting in their Premier League clash on Tuesday night.

The Black Cats were dealt a crushing injury blow before kickoff, as head coach Regis Le Bris confirmed that first-choice goalkeeper Robin Roefs had picked up a hamstring problem in the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth at the weekend.

Roefs's injury - which could rule him out of Sunderland's next two games - led to January arrival Melker Ellborg being handed his full debut in between the sticks, but the Swede also needed medical attention early on in the contest.

Ellborg appeared to be clutching his hamstring as he sat down inside the penalty area, and the visitors used the stoppage to speak with head coach Le Bris, much to the chagrin of the home crowd inside Elland Road.

Ellborg - who may have instead suffered a small knock in a collision with Dominic Calvert-Lewin - soon got up and did not appear to be suffering from any ill-effects, leading to the belief from Leeds fans that he had been feigning injury to allow for a team talk.

The Sunderland goalkeeper was subsequently booed by the home crowd, and Leeds made a not-so-subtle dig towards their opponents in a social media update, when they referenced the conversation between Le Bris and his players.

"Short delay as Sunderland’s keeper goes down, giving them enough time for a team talk. He’s back up, seems ok to continue now and play resumes at Elland Road," Leeds wrote on X.

Leeds suffer Gianluigi Donnarumma deja vu in Sunderland clash

20’ Short delay as Sunderland’s keeper goes down, giving them enough time for a team talk. He’s back up, seems ok to continue now and play resumes at Elland Road. 0-0 pic.twitter.com/kmpl478tOV

— Leeds United (@LUFC) March 3, 2026

Goalkeepers going down with apparent 'injuries' - thus stopping play to allow managers to conduct in-game team talks - has been a major talking point throughout the season, along with other perceived delay tactics.

Leeds felt that they were the victims of a similar incident against Manchester City in November, when Gianluigi Donnarumma received treatment and Pep Guardiola conversed with his players during the break.

Man City ended up triumphing 3-2 over the Whites that day, but Daniel Farke suggested that Donnarumma had been "smart" by stopping play when he was not really suffering from an injury.

Guardiola refuted Farke's claims - stating that he told James Trafford to warm up in case Donnarumma was unable to carry on - but the Italian was able to carry on and has in fact not missed a single Premier League minute this season.

Only the goalkeepers - and maybe the managers - truly know whether their injuries are genuine or a ploy to pass on some in-game tactics, but Leeds can understandably feel aggrieved at this sense of Donnarumma deja vu.