Sunderland clinched their place within the Championship play-off closing as Daniel Ballard’s last-gasp extra-time header secured a 3-2 mixture victory over Coventry Metropolis.
The Black Cats took a 2-1 lead again to the Stadium of Mild for the second leg, nevertheless it was Coventry who have been within the ascendancy for the overwhelming majority of the return on Wearside.
They lastly broke the impasse within the 76th-minute as Ephron Mason-Clark gave them a deserved lead, nevertheless it was Sunderland’s glorious extra-time resilience that finally proved decisive.
Penalties appeared a formality when Enzo Le Price went over to take a nook on the left within the 122nd minute, but there was a outstanding twist within the story as his completely positioned supply was met by the pinnacle of Ballard to show the ball in off the bar and ship the house crowd into delirium.
Sunderland will now face Sheffield United within the play-off closing at Wembley on Could 24 as they give the impression of being to return to the Premier League following eight seasons away.
WE’RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!! 😍#TilTheEnd pic.twitter.com/QqrEljjqsG
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) May 13, 2025
Sunderland v Coventry Metropolis
Coventry dictated the primary half however have been responsible of an absence of innovative within the closing third, with Jack Rudoni and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto each turning over from shut vary with one of the best alternatives of the opening interval for the guests.
As a substitute, Eliezer Mayenda, scorer of Sunderland’s winner within the first leg, was the one participant to significantly threaten both goalkeeper, surging into the field within the twenty second minute and forcing Ben Wilson to repel his stinging drive.
Regardless of Coventry’s dominance of possession, Wilson wanted to be referred to as into motion once more within the 67th minute to maintain his facet just one objective behind within the tie, a sensible save making certain Trai Hume didn’t discover the web with a well-executed volley.
However it was Hume who Mason-Clark managed to get throughout to satisfy Milan van Ewijk’s excellent right-wing cross with a intelligent end into the bottom-right nook as Coventry’s stress lastly advised.
It was the guests who continued to look the extra more likely to settle the tie in regulation, and they’d have finished so within the dying seconds of stoppage time had Haji Wright not set his header from Sakamoto’s right-wing cross hopelessly large with the objective at his mercy.
The identical sample of play was maintained for a lot of the primary half of additional time, however Sunderland discovered some life late in these opening quarter-hour.
An impressive block from Josh Eccles, who later limped off injured, prevented spectacular substitute Romaine Mundle from restoring Sunderland’s mixture benefit and, it appeared the prospect to settle the tie in further time had gone.
Nonetheless, one closing nook gave Sunderland the chance to write down an unbelievable chapter of their historical past, and Ballard snatched it with a stooping header that left Wilson with no likelihood to place Le Bris’ males one win away from ending the membership’s top-flight absence.
