Leeds United failed to continue their winning run as they were beaten 1-0 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the Championship on Tuesday night.
Daniel Farke's men had won their previous three league matches heading into the game but were unable to break down a stubborn Black Cats side.
Jobe Bellingham scored the only goal of the game as the likes of Georgino Rutter, Crysencio Summerville, and Joel Piroe were unable to make an impact in the final third.
Whilst Illan Meslier's efforts to keep out the winning goal were questionable, one player who was worse than him for the Whites was winger Daniel James, who let Farke down badly with a poor display.
Illan Meslier's performance against Sunderland in numbers
The French shot-stopper left a lot to be desired for Bellingham's header as he hesitated and opted to stay on his line, which allowed the Sunderland number seven to nod the ball past him with ease.
Meslier could have prevented the chance if he had been decisive and instantly come out to claim the ball and take the man with him if needed after Alex Pritchard's header bypassed the Leeds defence.
However, the former Lorient youngster did make three saves throughout the game and one, in particular, was a stunning stop to deny Bellingham during the first half.
The teenage midfielder brilliantly met a corner and looked to have guided his header into the back of the net only to see Meslier fly across his goal to superbly tip the shot wide with one hand at full stretch.
Dan James' performance against Sunderland in numbers
Meanwhile, James endured a frustrating performance out wide on the right wing as he struggled to get into the game and had virtually no impact at the top end of the pitch.
The ex-Manchester United forward's pace was once described as "frightening" by pundit Trevor Sinclair but Niall Huggins, a former Leeds academy prospect, did not allow him to utilise that in behind him.
James only had 21 touches of the ball in 75 minutes on the pitch and that was the lowest number of touches out of any Whites starter.
The Wales international lost three of his five battles on the ground and failed to attempt, and therefore complete, any dribbles throughout the game.
He also lost possession of the ball eight times from his 21 touches and did not register a single shot on goal, on or off target, or any key passes for his teammates in those 75 minutes.
The 26-year-old forward, who failed with all three of his attempted crosses, was the only member of the starting front four – James, Piroe, Summerville, and Rutter – who did not manage either a key pass or a shot on target to trouble the Sunderland goal.
Therefore, the Welsh whiz was the least effective attacker on the pitch and it was not a surprise to see Jaidon Anthony come on in his place with 15 minutes left to go.
Overall, James let Farke down badly with a disappointing performance out on the wing and was worse than Meslier, who at least had a huge save in the first half to keep his team in the game at that point, as he offered nothing in the final third.
