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Illan Meslier in ‘one of the worst goalkeeping errors of all time’ gifting Sunderland equaliser

Illan Meslier in ‘one of the worst goalkeeping errors of all time’ gifting Sunderland a 97th minute equaliser just as Leeds were winning 2-1.

The Championship fixture ended with Meslier leaving everyone in the stadium and watching on shocked with quite the mistake to gift Regis Le Bris’ side a point.

Leeds were on course to go joint top, a goal away from taking over at the top of the table, seven minutes into stoppage-time at the Stadium of Light, before Meslier’s howler.

BBC Sport writers Alex Hoad and Glenn Speller couldn’t believe what they were seeing, writing: “This is up there with Peter Enckleman at St Andrew’s all those years ago.

“Sunderland launch the ball forward, it’s glanced on to Alan Browne who flicks the ball into the box, it is bouncing straight towards Meslier but it somehow evades the keeper’s grasp and finds the back of the net.

“Sunderland are in rapture. Meslier is distraught.

“It’s all over.

“What an incredible finish to this game.

“Football. There’s just no way of explaining it.

“Sunderland remain unbeaten at home. Leeds remain unbeaten away. But that’s not what anyone will be talking about.

“Both Regis Le Bris and Daniel Farke have sought out Illan Meslier to give him a hug. You wonder if the head injury he sustained earlier played even a tiny factor in that.

“He took his eye off the bouncing ball and it is a mistake which will feature on every blooper video on every website for the rest of time.

“The fact it came in the dying seconds of a game of such high stakes makes it even crueller.”

Adam Pope (BBC Radio Leeds commentator): “It’s a comedy of errors.

“The goalkeeper will want the ground to open up and swallow him.

“I cannot believe what I’ve just seen, never seen anything like it.”

Nick Barnes (BBC Newcastle’s Sunderland commentator): “That’s an extraordinary finish to the game.

“You have to see that goal to believe it.

“Anyone who left early will be very disappointed.

“The Leeds players go to console Meslier but he’s cost them the win.”

Gary Bennett (Ex-Sunderland defender on BBC Radio Newcastle): “I think the ‘keeper thinks he’ll just come out and catch it but the ball has spun and found it’s way into the net.

“It’s bizarre but I’m not complaining.”

Sky Sports‘ Dan Long: “I’m speechless. What on God’s green Earth is Meslier doing. An absolute gift for Sunderland.”

Sky Sports’ Don Goodman: “I think that will go down as an Alan Browne goal. How important will that be come May?”

Jermaine Beckford on Sky Sports Football: “Oh my gosh. Meslier has taken his eyes off the ball, clearly thinking about what he’s going to do next.

“It’s disappointing because, in the second half, Leeds looked comfortable.

“It’s gut-wrenching. I feel for him, but I’m so disappointed with that.”

Gary Bennett (Ex-Sunderland defender on BBC Radio Newcastle): “I just thought Leeds were very good in the middle of the park and Sunderland’s decision making at times was poor.

“We just couldn’t get going, maybe it was fatigue, but they weren’t clicking.

“Give credit to Leeds, they’re the best team Sunderland have played this season.

“You’ll look back on that and think it’s a good point but we cannot give teams that amount of space and time.”

Jon Newsome (Former Leeds defender on BBC Radio Leeds): “Our luck ran out in the 97th minute.

“Meslier will be embarrassed by what has happened.

“Junior Firpo was fuming and stormed down the tunnel and as a group of players you’ll be upset but every player makes mistakes.”

Sunderland sub Alan Browne, said to Sky Sports: “I thought the boys would be fuming (with his ball into the box) but the keeper chucked it in the net. I am almost embarrassed but I’ll still claim it.

“In the end we got the lucky break, whether we deserved it or not I am not sure. To be fair Leeds came at us, we didn’t really open them up and create the chance we needed.”

Sunderland’s 17-year-old midfielder Chris Rigg, who put the hosts in front, told Sky Sports: “I am trying to get into those areas and add goals to my game and today I was in the right area at the right time.

“We started well but we dropped off a little bit but you need the crowd in a game like this, they didn’t stop for 90 mins.

“We are pleased. If you go into an international break with a point or a win it leads onto a good next set of games.”

Sunderland manager, Regis Le Bris has told Sky Sports: “Football is unpredictable and you can’t anticipate that kind of mistake but we pushed until the end so it was possible.

“It was a tough team to play against, they are a good side.

“We made a choice with our defensive shape and it wasn’t the best so we changed it but we deserved the draw because we tried and after we went 2-1 down we were in the game.

“We are still learning and the team is in a good place at the moment.”

Leeds manager Daniel Farke speaking to Sky Sports: “I’ve worked 30 years in professional football and I’ve won and lost a lot, lucky and unlucky in the last second but something like today…

“Horrendous for Ilian and us. Normally you win in this situation. It’s tough to take.

“I’ve not watched it back if it was a mistake or something strange on the pitch.”

Here’s how fans reacted with Illan Meslier in ‘one of the worst goalkeeping errors of all time’ gifting Sunderland a late equaliser…

@123claire123: That has to be match fixing

@BilbaoBlackCats: Karma’s a right bollocks eh Leeds fans? Serves you right for constant time wasting and not to mention the offside goal

@United_Hour: Always nice to laugh at Leeds 😄

@soccerbase: Check his betting account

@KerrieRoebuck: All those Sunderland fans that went on 85 mins at only one goal adrift. Bet they feel silly now.

@rocket230580: Bit Harsh the ball takes a deflection and puts loads of spin on the ball. You can clearly see the ball spin away from the keeper as it bounces and because it bounces so close to him he has no chance of reacting

@Karlhadfield83: Goalkeeper hardest position on the football pitch. There expected to be perfect everytime and handle everyball make no mistakes, but mistakes are always going to happen to a goalkeeper unfortunately, its a part of been a goalkeeper.

@ThatSamJJohnson: Keeper spent the entire game time wasting, then does this in the added time he created. Absolute poetry

@joshakers93: There is literally only one club in world football that this can happen to. Cursed fucking club.

@EmmaBfc90: There’s howlers then there’s this 🤣🤣🤣🤣

@JaiPlays96: Have you ever seen something more Leeds… Makes me sick to think what those 2 points could mean by the end of the season 🤮🤮🤮 #LUFC

@joeljacksonn6: Unreal 👏🏻👏🏻 lesson on why you never leave early. Ground half full to see a last min equaliser is bonkers. Dead again for 90% of the game. Plenty of us but some of the worst in the country at home

@lewyitfc: Whoops… poor sod went to put his head in his hands and missed that too! 😂🤣😂

@JoshSB91: Daniel Mann such an underrated commentator by the way

@SamL_94: Some things are unforgivable. If he plays for Leeds again he needs booing by every fan til he gets fucked off

@mattrulez_: Ok, no more slating Meslier without being actually constructive about it. My biggest concern is he faces the lowest % of shots in the league yet makes the most howlers. I’m really concerned he will cause us to miss out on autos this year.

@lufc_gibson: Meslier can’t command his box. He can’t kick. He makes our defenders shit themselves. And now he’s just cost us a very big 3 points. If we aren’t looking for a new number one in January then I give up #lufc

@hannahxLufc: That howler from meslier has been coming for a long time …

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