Sunderland 1-0 Leeds: Jobe Bellingham heads home late winner to make it two wins out of two for interim Black Cats boss Mike Dodds and dent promotion push of off-colour Whites

Sunderland may not have a manager at the moment, but they are certainly brimming with youthful energy and vigor, as epitomized by 18-year-old Jobe Bellingham.

You might say 'remember the name', but of course you already know him, as England star's younger sibling Jude scored their late winner to sink Leeds United.

Bellingham was in the right place at the right time to nod the ball home after Alex Pritchard's header fell to him in the six-yard box.

Leeds claimed offside but Bellingham was criminally left alone and the goal was exactly what Sunderland deserved after they controlled this match.

Daniel Farke's side looked anomalous all evening and as they needed to keep winning to keep pace with top two Ipswich and Leicester, this was far from ideal ahead of the testing Christmas period.

England star Jude's younger sibling remained unmarked and scored in the 78th minute

The German coach insisted he was not afraid to become the Grinch and keep his team focused on the promotion race during the celebrations.

This subdued performance on Wearside would not have helped his mood as Leeds toiled, without the usual control through possession and ability to create chances.

Sunderland's win kept them in the play-off positions and if their new boss can hit the ground running, they have every chance of staying there.

Pre-match chatter around the Stadium of Light prompted reports from Belgium that emerging manager Will Still was now the frontrunner to take over here after positive talks with owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

Given the youthful nature of the Sunderland squad, it seems the 31-year-old coach, who has worked wonders at Reims in France, would be a good fit.

In the meantime, caretaker boss Mike Dodds was looking to build on the many positives from Saturday's 2-1 win over fellow promotion candidates West Bromwich Albion.

Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier dives to make a one-handed save in the first half on Tuesday

Bellingham came close on Tuesday evening with a header from another Pritchard goal

Sunderland would dominate the first half, but only after a few early Leeds scares sparked them into life.

Good interplay in Leeds, left by Djed Spence – in for the paralyzed Sam Byram – and Crysencio Summerville led to a free kick in an advantageous position in the corner of the penalty area.

Summerville fired a devilish ball to the back post, leaving home keeper Anthony Patterson little choice but to hit clear.

Spence himself attempted a curling effort that went harmlessly wide of a group of Sunderland defenders.

It was difficult to pinpoint the exact moment, but Sunderland suddenly took control of the match, which was cheered on by the large Stadium of Light crowd.

They created the first clear chance on 22 minutes, with Alex Pritchard going wide with a low effort, while Ilan Meslier looked concerned to dive at full speed.

The battle between Jack Clarke and young Archie Gray in the Sunderland was fascinating.

Clarke has good speed and Gray brought him down awkwardly with a lunge to earn a booking.

The resulting free-kick, curled in by Pritchard, caused brief panic in the Leeds ranks before Spence chopped the ball free for a corner.

At least they responded to that set piece. From the corner, again scored by Pritchard, no one picked up Jenson Seet, whose header seemed destined to fall in until Meslier cleared the ball with his fingertips.

Sunderland striker Jenen Seelt was denied during a goal against Leeds

However, Leeds failed to learn their lesson as seven minutes later Bellingham was allowed to rise unchallenged and head wide from another accurate Pritchard corner.

The pattern continued after the restart, with Meslier keeping out Niall Huggins' effort after Gray could only score half-nil. Luke O'Nien then unsuccessfully claimed a penalty when Dan James caught him swinging his leg to clear.

Ethan Ampadu had to take a sacrificial yellow card after bringing down Pritchard after the Sunderland man charged into Joe Rodon's clearance and ran into space.

The goal came and Bellingham obliged with twelve minutes left to play. Despite late bursts of pressure, Leeds failed to respond.