Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier produces one of the all-time HOWLERS to gift Sunderland a 97th minute equaliser - but did the ball hit an object on the pitch?

Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier produced a howler for the ages on Friday night as he gifted Sunderland an equaliser deep into stoppage time of the sides' Championship clash.

Daniel Farke's team went to the Stadium of Light with the hope of going top of the second division table, with a win potentially seeing them overtake their opponents in the standings.

They looked at least close to doing that when they went into the final few moments of the match 2-1 up, a result that would have seen them go level on points with the Black Cats and trail on goals scored.

But goalkeeper Meslier was responsible for an error that will surely go down in history as he conceded an equaliser with just seconds left in the game.

Leeds players were left with their heads in their hands as they looked towards their No 1 as Sunderland celebrated a result that could prove to be priceless amid the battle for promotion.

It was Alan Browne who was the one claiming the goal, with Irish midfielder's hopeful pass seeming as though it would float kindly into arms of Meslier.

Instead, however, the Frenchman tried to gather the ball and saw it escape his clutches as he scrambled back to try and keep it out at a second attempt.

It was too little, too late, however, and the Sunderland players wheeled away in celebration as Meslier looked towards the turf.

The 24-year-old could be seen picking an obscure item up from the ground in the aftermath, with it unclear if the ball had hit it as it bounced before arriving for him to gather.

He appeared to demonstrate in frustration, as Sky Sports co-commentator Don Goodman described the howler as 'right up there' in terms of all-time errors.

'It's a gift, it's a present,' Goodman added. 'You cant legislate for it. If you are Leeds, how on earth can you legislate for something like this?' 

After the game, Browne told Sky Sports: 'I turned away thinking the boys would be fuming at me after I hit it. Then the keeper chucked it in the net, so fair play to him.

'I am almost embarrassed but I'll still claim it.'

Fans dashed to social media to give their views on the goal, with Meslier to blame despite the apparent mystery object on the field.

'Worst goalkeeping you'll ever see from Meslier,' one fan posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Another added: 'I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say I want that to be Illan Meslier's last game for the club.'

A third wrote: 'I'd make Meslier catch 10,000 balls in a dark room as punishment. What on earth happened there?'

Meslier also received criticism for seemingly laughing with Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris at full time, who was his coach at Lorient in France.

Meslier has played a total of 184 games since joining Leeds from the French club in 2019 and was a regular in their side when they were relegated from the Premier League in the 2022-23 season.

When asked about his former player in the build-up to the clash, Le Bris had said: 'I like the person and the player – but I hope he's picking the ball out of his net.'

After the game, he said:  'I am happy for us, but not happy for him. We spoke about the action after the game. He said the ball changed direction when it touched the ground and he was surprised. Everyone can make a mistake but he is still a very good goalkeeper.

'Football is always unpredictable. We can't anticipate that kind of mistake but we pushed until the end so it was possible.'

Leeds boss Farke admitted: 'To lose two points in this way is heartbreaking and horrendous. I have won and lost many points in the last second, but I have not experienced something like this in 30 years in professional football. We are so, so sad for the lads.

'Normally the goalkeeper takes the ball, clears it and the referee blows the final whistle and the game is won. Pascal Struijk said the ball bounced and jumped completely in the other direction because there was a mark on the pitch. But I cannot tell you if that was the case.'

Leeds are now third into the table going into the rest of the weekend's games, jumping two places ahead of West Brom and Sheffield United.

They could find themselves as low as eighth by the time the games are over, while Sunderland remain top but could be overtaken by Burnley, Sheffield United and West Brom depending on results.