Dennis Cirkin scored on his return to the starting line-up to fire Sunderland to victory at Cardiff City and back into the Championship top ten. Defender Cirkin was starting for the first time since mid-February after recovering from the after-effects of concussion, but he was thinking clearly enough on the hour when he reacted quickly to score from close range after Alex Pritchard's free-kick had been kept out by a combination of post and goalkeeper.
Sunderland were by far the better side against a poor Cardiff side, who sunk to fourth-bottom, a point outside the drop zone. As for the Black Cats, there are now just four points between Tony Mowbray's tenth-placed side and the play-off spots.
Mowbray made four changes to the side that drew against Hull City on Friday. Luke O'Nien did not travel, and he was replaced by Cirkin.
Pierre Ekwah and Abdoullah Ba replaced Edouard Michut and Patrick Roberts in midfield, with the latter pair dropping to the bench. And Pritchard returned to the side, with on-loan Leeds United man Joe Gelhardt dropping to the bench.
READ MORE: Cardiff City 0-1 Sunderland: Highlights and reaction as Cirkin strike lifts Black Cats into top ten
Cardiff boss Sabri Lamouchi made one change, in his case to the side that won at Blackpool on Friday. Sheyi Ojo came into the side in place of Joe Ralls.
The first-half was virtually one-way traffic, with Sunderland dominating possession and pressing Cardiff back for long spells. But the Black Cats struggled to fashion clear-cut chances, with Ekwah and Dan Neil both off-target from the edge of the box, while a heavy touch from Amad inside the area prevented him getting a shot away on the half-hour after he had been played in by Ekwah.
Lynden Gooch saw a shot headed over by a defender, and from a corner Batth looped a header over the bar. Cardiff had been dreadful, prompting Lamouchi to make a double substitution ten minutes before half-time with Ojo and Jaden Philogene dragged off to be replaced by Andy Rinomhota and Jack Simpson.
Almost immediately, Sunderland had the ball in the net when Jack Clarke headed home from a Pritchard cross but the linesman's flag was raised against Clarke meaning his effort did not count. Cardiff did have a chance five minutes before the break when Romaine Sawyers' cross found the unmarked Sory Kaba at the far post but his downward header lacked power and was directed straight at Anthony Patterson who made a routine save on his line.
Lamouchi made another change at half-time, taking off former Sunderland striker Connor Wickham who had been completely anonymous in the first period and bringing on Kion Etete. Etete then had the first chance of the second half when Sunderland gave the ball away down their right flank, and when it eventually came to the substitute inside the box he hit a low shot which Patterson did well to get down to and claw away with Cirkin hooking the loose ball clear.
Ten minutes into the second half, Amad burst forward down the right and teed up Pritchard but his effort was blocked and when the ball came back to Amad, his low cross was put behind for a corner. But on the hour, Sunderland finally broke the deadlock.
Clarke was brought down just outside the left corner of the box by Perry Ng, and Pritchard's curling right-footed free-kick was kept out by a combination of the left-hand post and the keeper, but it bounced across the face of goal and Cirkin reacted first to followe up and finish from a yard out. Kaba had a big chance to level midway through the half when he brought the ball down on his chest inside the box but he could only prod his shot wide when he should have done better.
Sub Gelhardt had a chance to kill the game ten minutes from time when Clarke picked him out inside the box but he delayed his shot too long, and when it eventually came it was blocked. Cardiff put Sunderland under heavy pressure in the final stages, but the Black Cats stood firm to claim all three points.
How they lined up
Cardiff City: Allsop, Ng, Kipre, McGuinness, Romeo (Davies 79), Philogene (Rinomhota 36), Wintle, Sawyers (Ralls 61), Ojo (Simpson 36), Wickham (Etete 46), Kaba. Subs not used: Alnwick, Harris
Booked: Ng, Kipre, Etete, Rinomhota
Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, Batth, Cirkin, Gooch, Neil, Ekwah (Michut 72), Clarke, Ba (Roberts 72), Amad, Pritchard (Gelhardt 79). Subs not used: Bass, Lihadji, Anderson, Taylor
Referee: Tom Bramall (Sheffield)
Attendance: 23,365
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