Sunderland and Leeds United shared an ugly goalless draw, bringing good news for owners of their Fantasy Premier League (FPL) defenders.
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Here are our Scout Notes from the Stadium of Light.
BONUS KING TRAFFORD
Anyone who had the misfortune of watching will rue the fact that those 90 minutes will never be given back.
But it brought further proof that Leeds’ backline is worthy of investment. It’s only conceded six goals all season – one fewer than Arsenal – so perhaps managers should consider a double-up.
Boasting a 10-point haul that bettered all other Gameweek 8 goalkeepers, James Trafford (£5.0m) stood out. Four saves put him on the second-most overall (30), including the one-on-one denial of Bryan Brobbey (£5.7m). No stopper has a higher save percentage (88.2%), showcasing why he’s knocking on Thomas Tuchel’s door to become England’s number one.
MASTERFUL MUHAREMOVIC
Of course, part of Trafford’s success is because there’s an excellent defence in front of him. A rearguard that improved throughout 2025/26 has been further enhanced by the arrival of Tarik Muharemovic (£5.1m).
The Bosnian grabbed nine Sunday points, thanks to the clean sheet, 13 defensive contributions (DefCon), and a bonus. FPL’s seventh-highest scoring defender (43), Muharemovic is becoming a must-have, knowing only one of eight outings has ended with fewer than four points.
A huge threat from set-pieces, it’s only a matter of time until Muharemovic finds the net. He missed a big chance against the Black Cats. Level with teammate Jayden Bogle (£4.7m) on seven penalty area shots, the duo sit amongst the game’s best defenders. Speaking of Bogle, the wing-back was a lively presence in attack, taking two shots.
STACH CAMEO, ELVEDI ILL
There were three injury doubts for Leeds. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.1m) was the only one to start, but didn’t register a single shot. Noah Okafor (£5.8m) and Anton Stach (£6.0m) came on later.
Daniel Farke seemed pleased with a clean sheet in such windy weather, considering a lot of training was without several key players.
“On a warm, sunny Saturday or Sunday afternoon after a good training week, anyone can play proper football, but these games belong also to the Premier League.
“It was one of those days where you have to accept that you can’t shine that much football-wise, it’s more or less to dig in and grind out a result and fight for second balls and show steel. And this this what we what we did today.” – Daniel Farke
He also explained that Nico Elvedi’s (£4.5m) absence was “due to illness”.
BROBBEY BACK
Meanwhile, Regis Le Bris was also happy, even though his Sunderland side remains bottom of the table. They narrowly outdid Leeds for shots (15 v 11) and expected goals (xG, 0.83 v 0.76).
“Today we saw a good Sunderland team, with fighting spirit, with togetherness, with intensity. I think we created chances as well, and it’s a question of small details. In the end, if you can’t win, don’t lose it.”
Regis Le Bris
As mentioned, Brobbey squandered his side’s best chance when he pounced on a defensive lapse, only to be denied by Trafford’s outstretched leg, and the Leeds keeper turned another of the Dutchman’s snapshots wide.
His 0.23 xG outdid Nilson Angulo (£5.0m, 0.16), although the latter racked up the joint-most shots of everyone (three), with one curler needing Trafford to be at full stretch. Differential centre-back Luke O’Nien (£3.9m) had his own trio of efforts, while accumulating 17 DefCon actions.
Back after missing two Gameweeks, Brobbey is unquestionably the focal point of Le Bris’ attack. He’s being eased towards full fitness.
HIGH CEILING FOR ROEFS
At the back, owners of Nordi Mukiele (£5.4m) were denied a clean sheet when a blow to the throat forced his 52nd-minute removal. Post-match, it was labelled as a precautionary move, as he’s fine.
Robin Roefs (£4.9m) channelled his inner 2025/26 self with a fine display between the sticks. He saved three shots – including a big chance – to claim his second clean sheet of the campaign. Added to a couple of bonuses, Roefs earned nine points.
If the Black Cats continue to show such defensive resolve, Roefs could be a contender. But we’ll need to see a larger sample size from a side mired at the foot of the table and, after visiting Coventry City, their next few fixtures are not easy.
WILL LE BRIS TRUST HIS WINGERS?
Extreme, adverse conditions definitely affected the match, but there was very little creativity from Sunderland. Enzo Le Fee (£5.7m) set up four chances and his two shots included a badly wasted free-kick, while Granit Xhaka (£5.4m) underwhelmed, causing the crowd to ask for substitute Chemsdine Talbi (£5.2m), a winger who has barely featured this season.
Omitted from the Europa League squad because a move to Saudi Arabia looked likely, fans have been calling for his attacking qualities to be trusted over the more defensive-minded Trai Hume (£4.2m) or Thomas Meunier (£4.5m), who missed this match with an injury.
“It would have been good for him to get minutes in this competition [Europa League]. After that, we started with two wingers; we started with Nilson [Angulo] and Malick [Fofana], and we trust them, even though sometimes they are struggling
.“I am sure Chemsdine [Talbi] will get his opportunities as well. It was a strong choice to give him the opportunity [against Leeds] in a tight game, really intense.
“We know we have good wingers – I think you saw a good version of Nilson Angulo and, maybe three or four weeks ago, that wasn’t maybe the case. It is a question of support – for Chems and Malick, that is going to be the case.” – Regis Le Bris
