Sunderland

Jobe Bellingham opened the scoring for Sunderland in the 16th minute before hitting the woodwork in the second half, but Wilson Isidor gave the home side the insurance of a second goal in the 63rd minute against 14th-placed Oxford at the Stadium of Light. 

The result was Regis Le Bris' side's third win in the space of six days, having beaten Hull City and Luton Town earlier in the week.

And Sunderland also saw their title rivals slip up to cap off a fine week.

After third-placed Leeds United were held to a goalless draw by Bristol City, Burnley suffered the same fate against QPR later in the day, allowing the leaders to extend their advantage. 

Beale was confirmed as Tony Mowbray’s successor on Monday, but his maiden outing in charge of his new club did not go to plan as Coventry swept to an emphatic success.

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto opened the scoring for Mark Robins’ side in first-half stoppage time, with Callum O’Hare and Kasey Palmer also finding the net in the second half.

Coventry’s win means they have now lost just one of their last eight matches, and while the Sky Blues might have started the season slowly after losing both Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer in the summer, they look increasingly well set for another tilt at the play-offs.

That will also be Sunderland’s ambition, although Beale’s side will have to improve markedly if the former Rangers and QPR boss is to build on Mowbray’s good work over the course of the last 15 months.

Beale made one change for his first game in charge, restoring Jobe Bellingham to the starting line-up. The teenager had a famous face watching him from the stands, with his brother, Jude, observing from the directors’ box after returning to England at the start of Real Madrid’s winter break.

Jobe was stationed as an attacking midfielder, with Abdoullah Ba playing ahead of him as a false number nine, and the latter should have opened the scoring in the 20th minute.

Coventry goalkeeper Brad Collins could only parry Jack Clarke’s shot from just outside the area, with the ball rebounding invitingly for Ba, who was unmarked 10 yards out. The 20-year-old looked certain to score, but instead skied a poor effort over the crossbar.

Sunderland were on top at that stage, but the hosts were indebted to their goalkeeper, Anthony Patterson, for a fine double save from Haji Wright and O’Hare that kept the scoresheet blank midway through the first half.

However, the Sunderland goalkeeper was beaten as Coventry took the lead just before the break. O’Hare delivered a low cross after Luke O’Nien’s error enabled him to break down the left-hand side, and while Sakamoto’s initial shot was saved at the back post, the ball rebounded back off the Japanese midfielder and into the net.

Clarke twice went close to claiming an equaliser at the start of the second half, firing in shots that were saved by Collins, and Bellingham also saw an effort blocked close to the goalline as Sunderland tried to crank up the pressure.

Coventry remained a significant threat on the break though, and the visitors doubled their lead in the 67th minute. Wright pulled the ball back from close to the byline, and O’Hare curled a clinical finish into the far corner.

The second goal was the cue for a section of the Stadium of Light support to begin chanting Mowbray’s name, and the singing became louder when Coventry added a third goal three minutes later.

Patterson failed to hold on to a low cross from the left, and substitute Palmer was left with the simple task of rolling home from close range.

Beale was under-fire after three straight defeats in all competitions and his problems deepened ahead of Saturday’s Championship game when Sunderland released a club statement claiming key midfielder Alex Pritchard had made himself unavailable for selection and “expressed his desire to leave with immediate effect”.

But the Black Cats managed to put those troubles to one side and are now only outside the play-off places on goal difference after an impressive home victory against the Potters.

Chelsea loanee Mason Burstow scored his first goal of the season before Abdoullah Ba – who replaced Pritchard in the team – added a second after the break. Midfielder Pierre Ekwah scored Sunderland’s third before Stoke managed a consolation through a Jenson Seelt own-goal.

“I’m delighted with the players and for them,” said Beale.

“The work ethic of the boys and togetherness behind the scenes, it’s been a difficult few weeks with the last two or three results, but it was a really good win today.

“It’s been an interesting start to (my time at) the club, hasn’t it? There’s a lot of emotion.

“I’m all in for the club. I want to be here for the long term and it’s important that my team and our team go on the pitch and put in performances that fans can get behind.

“Today they did. It’s one performance, we want to build on it.”

Pritchard’s Sunderland contract is due to expire in the summer but the midfielder might have played his last game for the club.

Beale said: “It’s been ongoing to be honest, not just the last 24 hours. He’s a boy who is coming up to the end of his contract and he’s been offered one, I think mentally it has got a bit much for him. Let’s keep the focus on the players who played today.”

Beale wants to sign a striker before Thursday’s transfer deadline but is hoping Burstow can build on his first Sunderland goal.

He said: “I’m delighted for Mason tonight and let’s hope it’s a chance for him now to really kick on.”

Steven Schumacher enjoyed a five-match unbeaten run after leaving Plymouth to take charge of Stoke but the Potters have now lost two games on the bounce and remain 19th in the Championship.

“I felt we played well, controlled large parts of the game and got into some really good areas and created loads of big chances but weren’t clinical enough,” said Schumacher.

“We haven’t got that belief in the final third. To miss the target as we did today is unacceptable and Sunderland punished us with their moments and their quality players.

“To have 37 shots in the last two games – and big opportunities – to not work the keeper as often as we are is just not good enough. And you’re not going to win games at this level like that.

“We had big chances before all three of their goals. It’s disappointing and frustrating but we have to keep going.”

The Black Cats rode their luck early on and needed two brilliant heroic blocks from Dan Ballard to save certain goals.

It gave Sunderland and Clarke the platform to flourish. He won and converted the opener – a calm finish from the penalty spot – and although Harry Leonard’s header pegged them back, Dan Neil restored the lead before half-time.

Dilan Markanday hit the woodwork in the second half, but a composed Sunderland looked increasingly dangerous. It was typified by the imperious Clarke, who rounded off the scoring by nonchalantly rolling in from close range.

After their third successive win, Mowbray challenged “amazing” Clarke to keep working hard. He said: “I was extremely unhappy with him for half an hour. He was right in front of me and he wasn’t listening!

“He was amazing tonight. Scored two great goals, earned the penalty, he stuck it away, which shows the confidence level he’s got to stand up and take the penalty, and the composure for his second goal.

“But not just the goal. The more the game went on, the more this team knows to give it to Clarke who can run it 40 yards up the pitch, he can cut inside, pass it to people in the box, he can shoot.

“He’s a super talent, he’s a great kid and I don’t apologise for shouting at him and telling him he has to work hard because all the best players work harder than anybody else and their talent shines through.

“That’s what he has to do, to learn to work really hard out of possession for the team.”

Jon Dahl Tomasson felt Blackburn should have been “out of sight” in the first half.

He said: “We are very disappointed with the result. If you look at those chances we created, we should at least have scored three or four goals in the first half.

“Also, the way we created it and the amount of big chances, we should have been out of sight in that way. We saw some excellent football.

“I think we gave three unnecessary goals away. Of course, sometimes when you chase the game in the second half, it was a little bit more open. But we conceded a penalty and I think that’s the first time they were in our box. Then a corner just before half-time.

“Second half, I think we started well. Dominant again, created chances again. When you look at those amount of moments, it is crazy that we didn’t get a result.

“The team have done a lot of things right. Of course, we need to be more clinical.”

Bellingham’s brace helped overturn Hakeem Odoffin’s early goal and secure a welcome win for the Stadium of Light crowd.

Mowbray admitted afterwards that the 17-year-old was disappointed not to land a hat-trick and praised him for his efforts after being moved up front early in the game.

The Black Cats head coach, who also revealed that the club are on the brink of making a breakthrough in the transfer market, believes getting on the board at the first time of asking was an important step for his team after a frustrating start to the campaign.

“It’s important we got the win as it can weigh heavy,” Mowbray said.

“I think we’ve been unfortunate not to get anything from two games having dominated, and I thought we deserved to win today.

“I think Jobe is disappointed he didn’t get more goals. He had a couple of good chances but he’s in the six-yard box and playing the role we’re asking him to play.

“He had to show good flexibility today because we pushed him higher up the pitch, and he got the goals for us.

“His greatest asset is he wants to learn, he’s asking us coaches questions every single day. He’s a joy to work with.”

Mowbray confirmed that Bellingham’s striker role will be brief, with a new arrival from the loan market imminent.

“I’m hoping we’ll have a striker in soon,” he said.

Rotherham boss Matt Taylor believes his club must strengthen in the closing stages of the transfer window as their wait for a first win continues.

The Millers, who have one point from their first three fixtures, saw goalscorer Odoffin limp out of the contest not long after his impressive strike gave his side the lead.

Taylor admits his squad are struggling physically and need more if they are to improve their form.

“Hakeem has picked up a muscle injury. He scored a really good goal and then limped off, that’s where we are,” Taylor said.

“It’s a culmination of playing so much of the start of the season with 10 men against good quality opposition. They’re really low at the moment in terms of their physical attributes and they’re at risk.

“We’ll keep on working, we’ve got offers out to players and we’re mainly waiting for the loan market. We need to get our injured players back as well, we’re almost at double figures and that’s not manageable.

“It’s incredible, so we need to improve that first and foremost and then look to the market.”

Taylor also called for greater consistency after seeing just five minutes stoppage time awarded at the end of the loss to Sunderland.

The Rotherham boss was booked for his protestations and said there must be greater consistency in how added time is decided.

“I’ll get in trouble again because the fourth official says it’s the referee timekeeping, the fourth official says it’s the referee,” Taylor said.

“We played five minutes on the back of the six substitution stops and an injury where all 22 players come over for a drink.

“Five minutes, given what we’ve seen this season, is absolutely incredible. I wasn’t asking for 10 or 12 but five was incredible.”

Argyle were unbeaten in three Championship games since Foster replaced Steven Schumacher and looked well positioned to continue their fine run when Ryan Hardie fired them into a half-time lead at the Stadium of Light.

But the Black Cats were a team transformed after the break, with Pierre Ekwah, Jack Clarke and substitute Jobe Bellingham all on target as Michael Beale’s improving side extended their own unbeaten league run to three games.

Buoyed by their impressive recent form and their first away win of the season at Swansea, Plymouth settled well and created the only meaningful chance in the early stages when Hardie forced a good save out of Anthony Patterson.

Sunderland dominated possession in the opening 45 minutes, but lacked invention, and their only shot on target in the first half was a speculative Clarke effort from distance that was stopped by visiting goalkeeper Conor Hazard.

After stifling and frustrating Sunderland for much of the first half, Plymouth caught the hosts cold on the counter to get themselves in front six minutes before the break.

In-form Morgan Whittaker turned defence in to attack with a brilliant pass to set Hardie away. The striker still had work to do, but kept his cool to round Patterson twice before clinically and delicately chipping home.

Hardie almost doubled Plymouth’s lead instantly with what would have been a stunning second goal. From inside his own half, the striker spotted Patterson off his line and his audacious attempt to catch the keeper out bounced just wide.

Sunderland turned the game on its head after the break and were level just seven minutes into the second half.

The Black Cats won a free-kick on the edge of the area when Darko Gyabi fouled Patrick Roberts, and former West Ham midfielder Ekwah fired through the broken wall and found the bottom corner.

Just seven minutes later, Sunderland were in front after Clarke’s latest moment of magic.

The winger’s 14th goal of the season was undoubtedly one of his best. There was plenty of work to be done when he picked up the ball on the left, but he cut inside before hitting an unstoppable drive that went in off the post.

Bellingham secured the victory for Sunderland halfway through the second half and just two minutes after coming off the bench.

The teenager had barely touched the ball before setting off on a driving run into the box, cutting inside and lashing into the far corner beyond the helpless Hazard.

Regis Le Bris' side found themselves 2-0 down inside 17 minutes at the Swansea.com Stadium, following goals from Zan Vipotnik and Liam Cullen.

But the Black Cats got back into the match on 28 minutes through Dan Ballard, who headed home from Trai Hume's free kick to score his first league goal since December 2023.

Dan Neil restored parity with a stunning strike from distance after being picked out by Jobe Bellingham, with the Sunderland midfielder rifling the ball home off the crossbar. 

Bellingham then sealed the victory two minutes later, arriving late in the box to thump Chris Rigg's cutback beyond Lawrence Vigouroux for his third goal of the season. 

The result saw Sunderland move up to third in the standings, while Swansea dropped to 10th in the division after suffering their first defeat in four Championship games. 

Elsewhere, Sheffield United took top spot back in the second-tier following a 2-0 victory over lowly Plymouth Argyle at Bramall Lane, piling more pressure on head coach Wayne Rooney.

Goals from Gustavo Hamer and a late Kieffer Moore penalty secured a comfortable win for the league leaders, who lead Leeds by three points. Plymouth, meanwhile, are a point from safety after their fourth straight defeat.

Sheffield Wednesday got their play-off push back on track with a 3-1 victory over Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium, which was their third win in five matches.

Greg Leigh had got the hosts ahead in the first half, before Josh Windass equalised before half-time.

Jamal Lowe netted four minutes into the second half to put the Owls in front, before Djeidi Gassama volleyed in on 61 minutes to make things more comfortable for Danny Rohl's side.

Wednesday are ninth in the table, five points below sixth, while Oxford are 20th and just one point above the relegation zone.

Millwall were beaten 1-0 away to Middlesbrough in Neil Harris' final match as manager, having announced earlier this week that he would step away from his position. 

Emmanuel Latte Lath got the only goal of the game after 10 minutes to seal a result that saw Michael Carrick's side go sixth. Millwall are 13th on 25 points after 20 matches, with the search for a new head coach already underway.

The Black Cats came from behind to win 3-1 at Loftus Road, where Kenneth Paal put the hosts ahead before Rs midfielder Colback was red-carded against his former club for a challenge on Jobe Bellingham.

However, Paal’s opener came somewhat against the run of play and Mowbray felt the visitors were superior prior to Colback’s dismissal.

They equalised in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time when Jack Clarke’s effort was diverted in by QPR defender Steve Cook.

And second-half goals from Dan Ballard and Abdoullah Ba secured the points.

Mowbray said: “I think we started really well in the game, dominated, and then they scored. It wasn’t as if they were peppering our goal and giving us problems.

“We got the job done and I think we controlled the game and deserved it.”

QPR’s young Irish striker Sinclair Armstrong caused problems with his pace and power, but overall the home side struggled.

Mowbray added: “QPR spend a lot of time out of possession – their average possession is 33 per cent – so we knew we were going to have lots of the ball.

“It was about how we broke down their defensive block and we found a way to do that, which was pleasing.

“They are a team that are driven to be competitive and we were trying to control the game.

“But I thought we were OK in the first half and it seemed a matter of time.

“They were trying to score on the transition with Armstrong, who’s a hugely talented boy, but I thought we dealt with him really well.

“I just felt it was a matter of time before we scored and it was great that we scored before half-time.”

QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth had no doubt that Colback’s sending-off was the turning point in the match.

Ainsworth said: “Jack’s a competitor and if you tackle hard in this day and age and miss your timing then the refs can come down with a red card. He’s been a victim of that.

“We had a plan put in place and looked very secure, but with 10 men it was always going to be difficult against a team that were one game away from the Premier League last year and have spent good money in the transfer window.”

Rangers were almost relegated last season, have won just once at home since last October and have lost all three of their home matches this term.

But Ainsworth is adamant there has been a marked improvement.

He said: “This place is different to what it was. I’ll tell you now: these boys empty the tank every single game.

“It was hard with 10 men. I’m not saying we definitely would have won with 11, but we had a plan.

“To get to half-time 1-0 would have been great. It’s a different team-talk at 1-0 up. After that I just wanted us to stay in the game.

“The third goal was really a killer. That kills us off.”

Bellingham won an early penalty that Adil Aouchiche dispatched comfortably before the 18-year-old striker providing breathing space after 27 minutes with his seventh goal of the season.

Sunderland’s first success since Mike Dodds was appointed interim manager until the end of the season following the sacking of Michael Beale was fully merited.

The Black Cats belied their poor form to produce a slick performance that killed off Cardiff’s faint play-off hopes, moving to within two points of them in mid-table.

Cardiff had won four successive games before suffering the pain of losing the South Wales derby at Swansea before the international break two weeks ago.

Sunderland had stopped the rot of six successive defeats with a goalless draw against QPR last time out and began the day nine points above the relegation zone.

Their hopes of a first win since February 10 were lifted after 12 minutes when Dimitrios Goutas gave away possession and his haste to make amends saw him put an arm on Bellingham’s back.

Bellingham needed no invitation to go to ground and, three days on from Wales’ painful Euro 2024 shoot-out exit, the Canton End was the backdrop to another spot-kick.

France Under-20 midfielder Aouchiche converted with ease and Cardiff’s reaction to the early setback was poor.

Abdoullah Ba tested Ethan Horvath at the near post, Dan Neil curled over from 20 yards, and Sunderland should have doubled their advantage when Bellingham freed Chris Rigg.

Horvath scampered from goal to deny the 16-year-old and Cardiff cleared the danger. However, Sunderland’s wait for a second goal lasted a matter of moments.

Aouchiche found room on the right and his cross was volleyed home from close range by the stretching Bellingham.

Loud boos greeted the half-time whistle with Cardiff off the pace and the visitors’ solitary moment of discomfort coming from a free-kick when Goutas headed straight at Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.

Cardiff sent on Aaron Ramsey – who had stayed on the bench as Wales bowed out of Euro 2024 on Tuesday – for the second period with the Bluebirds desperately seeking impetus.

But Sunderland continued to dominate and Neil went close with a deflected effort before Nat Phillips prevented Bellingham from capitalising further.

Cardiff called on their set-piece potency as Goutas’ header skimmed the crossbar but Ba and substitutes Hemir and Romain Mundle all had clear openings to increase Sunderland’s advantage.

Aaron Connelly had given Sunderland the lead just 10 minutes in, benefitting from a clearance to beat Lukas Jensen on the volley and claiming his first goal for the club before the players were taken off the field for half an hour due to two medical emergencies in the crowd.

Millwall were a different side when they came back out onto the pitch, with Anthony Patterson having to pull off a string of fine saves to preserve Sunderland's lead.

The hosts eventually got a deserved goal in the 93rd minute though, as Femi Azeez stabbed home Aidomo Emakhi's cross for his first Millwall goal.

It is a fourth consecutive draw for Sunderland, who sit above Sheffield United on goal difference, while Millwall stay eighth.

Elsewhere, Middlesbrough moved back into the playoff places with a thumping 6-2 victory over Oxford United.

A hat-trick from Emmanuel Latte Lath, a double from Finn Azaz and another from substitute Tommy Conway saw Boro score six goals in an away league game for the first time in 64 years.

Greg Leigh had given the hosts a surprise lead, and though Dane Scarlett halved the deficit with his second-half goal to make it 4-2, they could not mount a comeback, leaving them 18th in the table, while Middlesbrough jumped up to fifth.

Meanwhile, Luton Town eased some of the pressure on manager Rob Edwards with their 1-0 win over struggling Hull City to move out of the drop zone.

Mark McGuiness scored the only goal of the match in the 33rd minute, brilliantly volleying his maiden Hatters goal in to help Luton move up to 16th.

Hull could not find a winner, despite Joao Pedro hitting the post in the first half, and they dropped into the relegation zone as their winless run extended to eight matches.

Norwich City are on a run of seven games without a win after playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw with West Brom.

Emiliano Marcondes and an own goal from Torbjorn Heggem gave Norwich the lead after Mason Holgate's early opener, but Josh Maja's 10th goal of the campaign cancelled out their lead just before half-time to earn them a point. 

Mowbray’s departure comes two days after his side’s 1-1 draw at Millwall that extended their poor recent run to one win from their last five games.

Sunderland, who have also parted company with Mowbray’s assistant Mark Venus, confirmed that coach Mike Dodds will take over pending the appointment of a new head coach, starting with Saturday’s clash with West Brom at the Stadium of Light.

Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman said: “All at SAFC have thoroughly enjoyed working with Tony and he is quite rightly held in high regard by our players and staff, and our supporters.

“After arriving at an uncertain time, he helped guide us to the Sky Bet Championship play-offs and played an important role in developing our team

“This was a difficult decision to make, but we remain loyal to our ambition and our strategy, and felt that now was the right moment to take this step.

“We are now focused on identifying the right candidate and we will continue to support our coaching team and players throughout the interim period.”

Mowbray replaced Alex Neil, who abruptly departed in August last year, and led the Black Cats into the play-offs, where they lost in the semi-finals to Luton.

Despite a bright start to the current campaign, his side appeared increasingly unsettled and have slipped out of the play-off places to ninth, three points adrift of the top six.

Leeds moved level on points with Sunderland 24 hours earlier with victory over Watford, but Regis Le Bris' men responded well thanks to Romaine Mundle's superb winner shortly after the hour mark.

The visitors had earlier taken the lead 10 minutes into the second half through growing talent Chris Rigg's third goal of the campaign, following an error from Tahith Chong, before Elijah Adebayo swiftly levelled with a header from close range.

But Mundle's fine finish into the far corner from outside the box secured an eighth win in 11 matches for Sunderland, who have a small buffer at the summit.

Burnley join Leeds in sitting three points off the pacesetters after drawing 1-1 against Hull City at the MKM Stadium to make it eight games without defeat.

Xavier Simon opened the scoring for Hull just before half-time with a heavily deflected shot that got the better of James Trafford.

Scott Parker's visitors found an equaliser through Zian Flemming 13 minutes from time - the Dutch midfielder powerfully heading in Jaidon Anthony's back-post cross - but they wasted a big chance to take all three points as Anthony missed from close range in added time.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Sheffield United fell to a second successive defeat without scoring as they went down 1-0 to Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. 

Substitute Emmanuel Latte Lath met Finn Azaz's cross in the 80th minute to head in the only goal of the game, after Jesurun Rak-Sakyi had earlier had a shot blocked on the line by Luke Ayling.

The Blades drop to fifth in the table, level on points with West Brom and Blackburn Rovers either side of them, after the pair played out a 0-0 draw.

Albion went closest to scoring in a game of minimal chances as their winless run stretched to five matches, while Blackburn dropped points at home for the first time this campaign.

The day's other game saw Romain Esse's 13th-minute strike earn 13th-place Millwall a 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle at The Den, with the visitors dominating possession but not making it count for anything as they stay two points above the relegation zone. 

The forward broke his duck in his 14th appearance for the club before Abdoullah Ba and Pierre Ekwah also scored to end the hosts’ run of three straight defeats in all competitions and move them level on points with sixth-placed Coventry in the Championship.

A Jenson Seelt own-goal was a mere consolation for Stoke, who remained 19th after their second straight loss.

Some Sunderland fans chanted for Beale to be sacked during last week’s defeat to Hull and the problems deepened for the former Rangers boss this week, with the Black Cats publishing a statement before kick-off on Saturday claiming midfielder Alex Pritchard had “made himself unavailable to play and expressed his desire to leave with immediate effect”.

But Beale and the Black Cats put those issues to one side against Steven Schumacher’s visitors.

The hosts were the brighter of the two sides from the off and had two good chances to break the deadlock in the opening quarter of an hour.

Jack Clarke has been the shining light for Sunderland this season and he could have added to his 13 goals when he blazed over from inside the box. Moments later, the former Tottenham and Leeds winger teed up midfielder Ekwah, who tried to catch out Stoke goalkeeper Daniel Iversen at his front post but hit the side-netting.

Stoke’s best chance of the first half came 10 minutes before the break. Midfielder Luke Cundle was denied by Anthony Patterson after a rampaging run from defender Ben Wilmot. The Potters kept the move alive and Bae Jun-ho looked certain to score only for Luke O’Nien to come to Sunderland’s rescue with a superb goal-line clearance.

Sunderland broke the deadlock two minutes before half-time. Dangerman Clarke darted down the left flank, his cross looped into the air and Ba nodded into the path of Burstow to bundle home his first goal of the season from close range.

Tyrese Campbell had a chance to level for Stoke just 22 seconds after the restart but lacked composure and ballooned his shot over the bar – and Sunderland quickly made the Potters pay.

Clarke was again involved, cutting in from the left after a rapid counter and teeing up Ba, who kept his cool and slotted home.

Ba created the third 20 minutes from time, picking out Ekwah, who found the bottom the corner from inside the box.

Stoke scored what proved to be a consolation four minutes later when a cross from ex-Sunderland defender Lynden Gooch was turned into his own net by Seelt.

Defender Dan Ballard broke the deadlock in the 69th minute before Dan Neil doubled Sunderland’s lead and looked to have wrapped up the points six minutes from time.

West Brom hit back through substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante in the 86th minute but Sunderland held out and brought a three-game winless run to an end as Dodds – who was put in caretaker charge after Tony Mowbray’s sacking on Monday – got off to the perfect start.

The victory lifted the Black Cats briefly back into the top six ahead of the 3pm kick-offs, while for Albion it was a second successive defeat after last week’s loss at home to leaders Leicester.

Sunderland made a confident start and would have been a goal up inside 15 minutes had Jobe Bellingham’s close-range rebound not been wrongly ruled out for onside.

Bellingham – starting up front for the Black Cats in the week his older brother Jude described him as a “thoroughbred striker” – was on hand to tap into an empty net after Alex Palmer could only parry Adil Aouchiche’s strike. The assistant’s flag was raised but replays showed the 18-year-old was clearly onside.

Undeterred, Sunderland remained on the front foot and had a strong penalty shout waved away when Patrick Roberts hit the deck after a weaving run from the right.

West Brom grew into the game and although they did not manage a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes, they finished the first period on top, despite the frustration of losing striker Josh Maja.

Making his first return to Sunderland since leaving the Black Cats four years ago and his first start of the season for the Baggies, Maja’s afternoon was cut short after Ballard’s heavy tackle 10 minutes before the interval.

Sunderland were the better team in the early stages of the second half and came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock 12 minutes after the restart.

After good build-up play from Roberts on the right, Aouchiche’s strike from inside the box crashed back off the post before Jack Clarke’s rebound was superbly saved by Palmer.

Dodds turned to his bench, introducing Alex Pritchard in place of Aouchiche, and the change worked a treat. It was substitute Pritchard who swung in the 70th minute free-kick for Ballard to head home.

Pritchard was again involved in the second goal, setting Neil away, with the midfielder keeping his cool and lifting the ball over Palmer.

Albion responded and two substitutes combined as Thomas-Asante headed in Pipa’s cross from the left. Jeremy Sarmiento had a penalty claim waved away deep in stoppage time.

Neither goalkeeper was troubled much throughout the game, but the first half saw Ilias Chair and Lucas Andersen have the better of the chances for the visitors.

Substitute Sinclair Armstrong threatened three times after the break, but the best opportunity fell to Chris Willock, who had his effort saved by goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.

A point ends Sunderland’s losing run but sees them remain 12th in the table, while QPR sit one point above the relegation zone.

Asmir Begovic was tested in the opening minutes when a cross was curled in from the left by Adil Aouchiche but the ball bounced off the crossbar.

QPR had an early chance through Chair after he was played through on the edge of the area, but his effort deflected behind.

The visitors grew more comfortable and had a great opportunity when Andersen latched onto a loose pass from Dan Ballard but was denied by a quick low save from Patterson.

A scrappy first half saw both sides have a couple of chances when Dan Neil tried to catch Begovic out with an audacious effort from the halfway line which dropped onto the roof of the net.

Chair came close at the other end with a curling effort around the post before a quick break from Aouchiche saw his low shot deflected just wide.

Both teams struggled to find their feet in the opening stages of the second half, but the more positive moves came from QPR.

They capitalised on another loose ball from Sunderland in the 65th minute as a tidy pass from Andersen played in substitute Armstrong but his shot from a narrow angle was comfortably scooped up by Patterson.

The Rs were on the attack again minutes later as Willock’s cross rattled the crossbar.

A chance for Sunderland followed as Pierre Ekwah found Callum Styles whose pass clipped a QPR defender and flicked up for youngster Chris Rigg, but Begovic was able to smother the ball.

Armstrong threatened again in the 85th minute with a great run down the right before cutting in and firing low at Patterson from a tight angle.

QPR nearly found a winner in the seventh minute of stoppage time when Armstrong played a low ball to the unmarked Willock in the box, but Patterson made a great diving stop to keep the score level.

A huge opportunity followed for Sunderland when a corner flew through the box. That allowed QPR to break again but Patterson was able to deny Armstrong for a third time.

Patino was red-carded in the 30th minute when his foul on the Black Cats’ Pierre Ekwah earned him a second yellow card.

But while the dismissal of the 20-year-old Arsenal loanee meant Sunderland went on to dominate possession and territory, Tony Mowbray’s side could find no breakthrough.

They will return to the north east bitterly disappointed not to have taken three points, but Michael Duff’s Swans will see it as a point gained after a gritty and organised reaction to Patino’s premature departure.

The first half was open and frenetic – and dominated by Sunderland.

Numerous chances were squandered by Mowbray’s men, but they went in at half-time breathing a collective sigh of relief.

That was a result of Jamal Lowe’s failure to convert a penalty awarded in time added on by referee Robert Madley.

The official ruled Sunderland captain Luke O’Nien had pulled Swans defender Harry Darling to the floor, and pointed to the spot.

But goalkeeper Anthony Patterson’s low save to his right earned Sunderland a reprieve they could not have envisaged they would need.

Had Swansea taken the lead, boss Duff might have opted to employ an all-out nine-men-behind-the-ball operation to protect it.

Instead, his team began the second half looking as vulnerable as they had done all afternoon.

Even before the Patino incident, Sunderland were well on top.

Dan Neil and Jack Clarke gave them attacking width down either flank and Jobe Bellingham’s calm authority in an attacking midfield role kept the home side alert at the back.

A slide-rule pass from 18-year-old Bellingham which put Ukrainian striker Nazariy Rusyn clean through should have been the breakthrough for the Black Cats.

Rusyn wasted the chance, but was joined in his profligacy by Clarke and midfielder Patrick Roberts, who both should have found the net as their team poured forward.

It was no surprise that Sunderland spent much of the second half camped in the Swansea half monopolising possession.

Yet their failure to fashion clear-cut opportunities was jolting.

Full-back Trai Hume forced Swans goalkeeper Carl Rushworth to tip over the bar brilliantly in the 72nd minute and flashed a fierce shot just past the post moments later.

Other than that, there were plenty of triangular passing movements but very little in the way of penetration.

For Swansea, the encounter turned into a grim rearguard action long before the closing stages.

Duff will be proud of his players’ discipline and application, if rueing that the Swans were never realistic winners once Patino had left the fray.

The hosts made the decisive breakthrough in the 20th minute after Sunderland were caught playing out from the back. Taylor Gardner-Hickman was tripped by goalkeeper Anthony Patterson and Conway sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with a low spot-kick.

An inspired performance from O’Leary protected the lead and Sunderland will feel hugely frustrated not to have taken something from an impressive display at Ashton Gate.

The game began badly for Conway, who picked up a booking on 45 seconds for a late challenge on Luke O’Nien.

The hosts had a strong penalty appeal rejected in the seventh minute when Mark Sykes went down inside the box.

However, Sunderland looked in confident mood with Trai Hume and Patrick Roberts forcing early saves from O’Leary.

Conway’s penalty was City’s first shot on target, but it galvanised Liam Manning’s team and six minutes later Anis Mehmeti struck a post with a low drive from inside the box.

Patterson had to dive to keep out a Jason Knight shot from distance, but Sunderland gradually rediscovered their composure and saw efforts from Jack Clarke and Roberts fly wide of O’Leary’s goal.

Roberts should have done better with his left-footed curler but caused problems with his ability to take on and beat defenders.

Sunderland finished the half strongly, with Rob Dickie picking up a booking for halting a dangerous run from Hume and Alex Pritchard clipping the crossbar with a free-kick from out on the left wing.

The second half began with the visitors playing towards their 2,600 travelling fans. They forced a string of corners and O’Leary was not able to hold a low shot from Pierre Ekwah to concede the first of them.

It was all Sunderland as O’Leary produced a brilliant save on his line to keep out O’Nien’s header and another diving stop to deny Abdoullah Ba.

Gardner-Hickman had a shot saved by Patterson on a rare City break but they came under more pressure and O’Leary had to be alert again to keep out another O’Nien header.

A couple of Sunderland penalty appeals for handball were waved aside by referee Stephen Martin as City defended for their lives, then O’Leary made yet another stunning stop, diving full-length to keep out a header from substitute Jobe Bellingham.

City had a great chance to settle the outcome when substitute Harry Cornick broke clear, only for his control to let him down as he prepared to shoot.

Sunderland threw everything into the dying minutes but they dropped out of the top six as Manning’s men put bodies on the line in front of the unbeatable O’Leary to hold out.

Rooney’s return to English football has hardly gone to plan, with the Blues’ latest 3-1 defeat at Sunderland meaning he has picked up just one point from a possible 15 since taking charge of the club.

Birmingham’s form has nosedived since John Eustace was controversially moved aside last month, but Rooney can see light at the end of the tunnel despite his side’s struggles.

However, he concedes the next two weeks will be crucial as he attempts to improve his players’ fitness levels and get his views across to his squad.

Rooney said: “The opposition we’ve played have been very good teams. The first couple of games, I didn’t think we were good enough, but there was obviously a lot of information we were trying to get across to the players.

“It was a big change in what they’d been doing, and if you look at the last three games, then as a team, I thought there were positives from Southampton, a lot of positives from Ipswich and then certainly positives again here against Sunderland.

“I’ve seen improvements, but we obviously need to start improving the results, and I really believe we will. What I’m seeing in training, and what I’m seeing from the players in matches now, is really positive.

“I think this break will help, just in terms of getting the fitness work into them. That’s important in terms of how I want my team to play. We’re gradually seeing improvement in that, and it’s a good opportunity for us now to really spend some time with the players.”

Rooney was pleased with aspects of his side’s display on Wearside, with Koji Miyoshi’s first-half goal cancelling out an opener from Jobe Bellingham.

However, he was frustrated with the defensive lapses that led to a second-half own goal from Dion Sanderson and a late strike from Sunderland substitute Adil Aouchiche.

He said: “The defending has to be better. We conceded three goals from inside the six-yard box, and that’s a real disappointment.”

Sunderland’s pre-match preparations were disrupted when Dennis Cirkin suffered a hamstring injury during the warm-up, and having promoted Nectarios Traintis to the starting line-up, Tony Mowbray was delighted with the Australian youngster’s performance on his full Championship debut.

The Sunderland boss said: “It’s frustrating with Dennis, obviously, but it’s great for Nectar. I’m delighted that him coming in has worked out so well.

“Nectar’s an amazing young man. I don’t know whether he came over expecting to get straight into Sunderland’s team and play, but with Luke O’Nien and Dan Ballard doing so well, he’s had to sit on the sidelines.

“He’s playing with the Under-21s – we sent him to Southampton the other week and he spent seven hours on a bus travelling down there and then seven hours travelling back. Yet he does it all with a smile on his face.

“He knows he’s a young footballer who hopefully has a big future at this club, but he also knows where he is in the pecking order at the moment. For him to get chucked in two minutes before kick-off was amazing for him, and I’m so happy for him because he’s such a nice kid.”

First Potters league goals for Ryan Mmaee and Luke McNally either side of Jack Clarke’s leveller secured a first home win since August to help Stoke open up a five-point gap above the relegation zone.

Neil, who left Sunderland last year to take over at Stoke, said: “I am really pleased. We needed the win, irrespective of who we were playing against.

“The [Sunderland] fans were always going to fire a few shots at me, which is fine and I get it.

“But for our lads, the club and our supporters, we needed a bit of optimism, a good performance and certainly three points under our belt.”

Mmaee opened the scoring inside seven minutes but Championship top scorer Clarke equalised for high-flying Sunderland moments later.

The hosts regained the lead shortly after the interval when McNally headed home a deep Daniel Johnson corner.

And, despite a late Black Cats onslaught, Stoke held on to earn only their fourth league win of the campaign.

Neil added: “We’re a team very much in transition and that’s frustrating because the nature of the Championship is you need to win games.

“I think the fans understand where we are as a club; you want your club to win games and you want to be successful and push on up the league.

“But I think we need to recognise where we currently are and that we do have great potential.

“Naturally Sunderland piled pressure on at the end and they’re the best games to win when you really need to dig in, so it’s really satisfying.

“At the end of the day, the proof’s in the pudding and you need to do it on the pitch, but I thought against a really good side, we more than matched them.

“We’ve got some tough games coming up so today was a good day for us.”

It was a frustrating afternoon for the visitors, who were denied a fourth successive away league victory as they slipped to sixth in the table.

The best efforts of Clarke and co could not prevent Sunderland from falling to a second defeat in a row, but they remain in the play-offs.

“It was a frustrating day for us and we didn’t start either half well enough,” said boss Tony Mowbray.

“It’s almost like you need a slap before you react to the fight.

“We talked about trying to be ready for the physical confrontation and we fell a little bit short today in that aspect.

“We created enough chances today not to lose the match but we fell below par for the way we play and what we do.

“Not just for the goals; it looks like a blatant handball the first one and then it’s frustrating for any football team to concede from a corner.

“In our defence, we’ve only had one training day with the team that started today so it’s probably understandable that we weren’t at our fluent best.

“We’re a young team; coming to Stoke City is never easy and they have to learn that intensity, aggression and closing down is all part of the game.

“You either stand up to it and play around it or you succumb, and I think we weren’t brave enough.

“Were they hanging on at the end? Maybe. Should we have scored? Yeah, but we didn’t so it goes in the history books as 2-1 and we have to live with it.”

A thrilling first half saw a Patrick Roberts penalty saved by Michael Cooper after Jack Robinson's foul on Tom Watson before each side was shown a red card apiece before the break.

Chris Mepham received his marching orders in the 40th minute for bringing down last-man Tyrese Campbell before Harry Souttar was dismissed seven minutes later for a second booking after tugging back Wilson Isidor.

Anthony Patterson made smart saves to keep Sunderland level, but he was helpless when Tom Davies, on his return from injury, slotted an 83rd-minute winner past him.

It is an eighth clean sheet in a row at home for United, and Wilder was delighted with how they dug deep to get the three points.

"The last 20 to 25 minutes, there was only one team that looked like winning in my opinion," Wilder told Sky Sports. "That last 25 minutes were outstanding, and the fitness levels were amazing.

"We needed to control the middle of the park and when we did, I thought we were good. We still made poor decisions. When you make poor decisions, it becomes a basketball game.

"I always felt there was a winner inside us, and I never felt like they were going to score."

Meanwhile, Sunderland stay fourth in the table after their 10-match unbeaten run came to an end at Bramall Lane.

They had more shots (16 to United's 14) and created a higher expected goals (xG) tally with 1.69 to the hosts' 0.89, though their missed penalty was one of just two efforts on target.

Regis Le Bris was left lamenting his side's wasted chances as they missed the chance to go top themselves if they had won. 

"My first thought is frustration," he told the club's media channels. "We played the game we wanted to play.

"Obviously, it was against a strong team in a tough place, but we dominated most of the game, and we were good out of possession and efficient.

"We took confidence, and the last point was to score, but we didn't, and my main concern is that one. How can we be so dominant against a strong team only to lose at the end?

"It's really frustrating, but it's a question of luck. We have to work; we have to build up the small details to find a solution."