Ellis Simms came off the bench to score a dramatic injury-time winner against Blackburn Rovers at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats had fallen behind in the first half when Ross Stewart scored an unlucky own-goal inside the opening 20 minutes.
But, almost immediately, Stewart made amends as he scored at the right end - winning and converting a penalty kick to notch his seventh goal of the season. Sunderland were the better side throughout against a strangley lacklustre Blackburn side, who had arrived on Wearside sitting third in the table.
And late in the game when Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray gambled against his old club by throwing on a second forward in Simms, the move paid off as the on-loan Everton man prodded home the decisive goal. Mowbray had made four changes to the side that drew at Hull City last weekend.
READ MORE: Sunderland 2-1 Blackburn Rovers: Highlights and reaction as Black Cats come from behind to win
Stewart and Dan Ballard made their first starts since August, having both made their comebacks from injury as substitutes against Hull. Stewart, who had scored at Hull, replaced Simms, who dropped to the bench, while Ballard came in for the injured Danny Batth, having replaced him from the bench last week.
Patrick Roberts came back into the side, taking the place of Elliot Embleton who suffered a broken ankle and was also sent off at Hull. And Dennis Cirkin replaced Aji Alese at left-back, with Alese presumably injured as he was not named amongst the subs.
Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson made one change to his side's 2-0 win at Norwich City in their last league game, with Ryan Hedges replacing the injured Tyrhys Dolan. Luke O'Nien crashed a shot off the crossbar inside the opening five minutes, but he was well offside and the linesman's flag was already raised against him.
At the other end, a corner from Tyler Morton found Bradley Dack unmarked inside the D, but his first-time shot flew well over the bar. Ex-Blackburn man Corry Evans had a lucky escape when he played a blind backpass, but fortunately for him goalkeeper Anthony Patterson was alert to the situation and got there to clear a split-second before anyone in a blue and white shirt.
Sunderland fell behind on 18 minutes with a goal that owed much to sheer bad luck. Ballard conceded a free-kick outside the left-hand corner of the box for a foul on Sam Gallagher, and when Morton swung the ball into the box, Stewart's defensive header hit Cirkin and then ricocheted off the striker and into the net, leaving Patterson no chance.
Sunderland were behind for just four minutes, however. Stewart was sent tumbling inside the box by a clumsy challenge from John Buckley and referee Darren Bond immediately pointed to the spot.
Stewart stepped up to send Thomas Kaminski the wrong way from the spot, placing his penalty into the bottom left-hand corner. After those two goals in quick succession, clear-cut chances were at a premium.
Blackburn created next-to-nothing, while the best Sunderland could manage came when Roberts flashed a shot just wide from the edge of the box just before half-time. Sunderland suffered another injury blow five minutes into the second half as Cirkin limped off, with Trai Hume replacing him.
Within minutes of entering the action, Hume saw a shot saved by Kaminsky, and as Stewart threw himself at the loose ball it struck his arm, and the referee awarded the free-kick. Stewart then saw a shot blocked inside the box from a well-worked corner routine, as Sunderland continued to threaten.
Twenty minutes from time, a rapid breakaway saw Jack Clarke charge through the middle before laying the ball to his right into the path of Stewart inside the box but his shot was straight at Kaminsky. Blackburn's first shot on target came with 18 minutes remaining, as Morton tried to pick out the bottom right-hand corner from just outside the box but Patterson got down to turn the ball wide.
The game became end-to-end, and Amad brought a save out of Kaminsky, while Ben Brereton Diaz did likewise at the other end and was denied by Patterson. As the game entered injury-time, Sunderland were still pressing forward and when they played a free-kick into the box, it was knocked down before Ballard prodded the ball into the path of Simms, who took a touch to go round Dominic Hyam and stabbed it home from eight yards out.
How they lined up
Sunderland: Patterson, Gooch (Wright 80), Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin (Hume 51), Evans, Neil, Roberts (Simms 80), Amad, Clarke, Stewart. Subs not used: Bass, Matete, Ba, Michut
Booked: Cirkin, Hume, Amad
Blackburn Rovers: Kaminski, Ayala, Hyam, Pickering, Costello, Morton, Buckley, Dack (Travis 76), Hedges, Gallagher (Hirst 76), Brereton-Diaz. Subs not used: Pears, Wharton, Markanday, Garrett, Phillips
Booked: Morton, Ayala, Buckley, Costello
Referee: Darren Bond (Lancashire)
Attendance: 43,940
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- Elliot Embleton could return for Sunderland before the end of the season
- Tony Mowbray on Sunderland's mixed fortunes as injuries continue to hamper side
