McManaman Fumes at Sunderland's 'Ridiculous' Long-Throw Tactics as Black Cats Edge Leeds

Steve McManaman pulled no punches in his criticism of Sunderland's match-day approach following their hard-fought 1-0 triumph at Elland Road against Leeds United.

Both sides have defied the odds this season, emerging from the Championship looking well-positioned to confirm their top-flight status. Sunderland, in particular, have exceeded expectations, spending much of the campaign nestled in the upper reaches of the Premier League table. This latest victory moved the Black Cats to 40 points.

Yet the win came courtesy of pragmatism rather than panache. Habib Diarra's penalty with 20 minutes remaining proved decisive, but the road to victory was paved with set pieces and long throws—tactics that left the pundit thoroughly exasperated.

"There's more towels scattered around the pitch than chances on the pitch!" McManaman declared on TNT Sports, taking particular aim at Sunderland's preparation methods for their throw-in strategy.

The former Liverpool winger went further, lamenting the broader direction of modern football. "I get the fact it's an opportunity to score a goal, but we're slowing the game down and there's no quality going on the green grass we're in front of," he continued.

When observers pointed out that towels had even been positioned behind one of the goals, McManaman's incredulity reached new heights. "Who's going to use that?! You can't take a throw-in behind the goalkeeper, it's ridiculous. The world has gone mad!"

His grievances extended beyond the throw-in theatrics. McManaman was equally critical of the match's glacial pace, with players seemingly intent on manufacturing stoppages. "People getting time-outs, faking injuries to have a time-out. The game needs to be looked at because it's driving me crazy at this moment in time. It's not an enjoyable watch," he said.

Adding fuel to the fire, McManaman and fellow pundit Jermaine Beckford turned their attention to the officials, who declined to award Leeds a penalty after Luke O'Nien's challenge on Pascal Struijk in the box.

"I'm so bemused as to how the referee and the VAR officials haven't given a penalty," Beckford said. "It's clear as day. How on earth is that not a penalty? It's absolutely embarrassing!"

McManaman's response was cutting: "It's not a penalty because now this is, for some reason, the norm, this madness at set-pieces all the time, which is frustrating the life out of everybody, particularly ex-players. It's awful and the referees really need to get a grip of it."