Amad Diallo once again stepped up to the plate as Sunderland booked a shot at English Premier League promotion.
The former Rangers attacker has had a sensational turnaround at the Stadium of Light after an unsuccessful spell at Ibrox under Giovanni van Bronckhorst and has firmly established himself as a key player and fans' favourite at the Black Cats. Following the final home game of the season the youngster was given a standing ovation and he had the huge travelling support off their feet once again with a stunning goal to fire his side ahead at Preston.
Former Celtic boss Tony Mowbray knew his side needed to win and needed a favour from elsewhere to book a top six finish and with Blackburn recovering from 3-1 down to defeat Millwall 4-3 all Sunderland needed to do was picked up three points.
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After Diallo's stunner, they took total control with Alex Pritchard and Jack Clarke netting alongside the former Rangers man in an 11 minute period to go three goals up.
It now means Diallo and former Celtic star Patrick Roberts are potentially just three games from leading Sunderland to back to back promotions.
They now face a two-legged tie against Luton Town in the semi-finals with the winner advancing to Wembley to play Middlesbrough or Coventry City in the richest game in the world for a shot at returning to the big time.
Taking to social media after the big win, Diallo wrote: "For the fans, a big thanks, your support gives us energy. The journey begins now."
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