A jag into the penalty area from the right flank, dancing feet taking him away from two defenders, and a left-foot shot whipped into the bottom far corner. Amad's goal kept Sunderland's play-off hopes alive as the Black Cats showed strength of character to come from behind to defeat a Birmingham City side that, while bumping along in 17th place, arrived at the Stadium of Light on the back of a four-game unbeaten run.
Grit and determination too, as Sunderland survived the final 12 minutes of the match a man light after Dennis Cirkin was shown a red card for a second bookable offence almost as soon as his side had taken the lead. In the first half, Sunderland's promising start had petered out and a defensive error allowed the impressive Tahith Chong to set up George Hall for the opening goal.
But Trai Hume levelled things up in injury time at the end of the first period with his first goal for the club, heading in from close range after Danny Batth and Patrick Roberts had kept the ball in the danger area following a corner, and that set the stage for Amad to complete the turnaround. Afterwards, Tony Mowbray continued to tread a fine line between keeping a lid on expectations - pointing out that going straight from League One and into the Championship play-offs extends way beyond his first-season remit - and keeping the fire burning for the fans and the players with just four games remaining.
READ MORE: Tony Mowbray explains why Dennis Cirkin's upcoming suspension has come at the right time
And that is the nub of it. Because, with three weeks of the season to go, Sunderland are firmly in the play-off race.
Wins at Cardiff City and now at home against Birmingham have seen the gap between the Black Cats and the play-off places shrink from six points to just two in the space of six days. Sunderland's victory against the Blues saw them chalk up their first win on home soil since mid-February - if they can complete back-to-back home wins when struggling Huddersfield Town visit on Tuesday night, all bets will be off.
That would leave Sunderland with three games against play-off rivals West Bromwich Albion, Watford, and Preston, each of which could make or break either the Black Cats' or their opponents' top six chances.
But let's not get too carried away. Sunderland are still the outsiders.
Blackburn sit sixth with a two-point advantage and a game in hand of virtually all the competition, Coventry and Preston sit seventh and eighth respectively and are each a point ahead of the ninth-placed Black Cats. Sunderland are ahead of Norwich City only on goal difference, 11th-placed West Brom are a point further back although they - like Blackburn - have a game in hand, and Watford are a point behind the Baggies.
Even this close to the end of the season, to attempt to calculate the permutations and probabilities is a fool's errand. The point is, Sunderland are not merely part of the conversation but a genuine contender at this stage of the campaign.
And, given the step up from League One, the youth and inexperience of their squad, and the catalogue of injuries - including to key men Ross Stewart and Corry Evans - that has plagued their season, that is in itself a remarkable achievement and testament to the ability of Mowbray and his players.
READ NEXT:
- Amad's winning Sunderland goal branded 'a touch of class' by Birmingham City boss John Eustace
- Tony Mowbray sets Sunderland last-day target after Birmingham win keeps them in the play-off hunt
- Sunderland player ratings as Amad, Dan Neil, and Anthony Patterson impress in win against Birmingham
- Ten-man Sunderland close to within a point of play-offs after coming from behind against Birmingham
- Sunderland loanee Bailey Wright to play a part in Rotherham's relegation fight despite bad injury
