.png)
3 hours ago
2
Sunderland volition look Sheffield United successful the Championship play-off last aft Dan Ballard’s melodramatic 123rd-minute header guided them past Coventry City successful the semi-finals.
Having won 2-1 distant from location successful the archetypal limb past Friday, Sunderland squandered that pb successful Tuesday’s 2nd limb astatine the Stadium of Light arsenic Coventry’s Ephron Mason-Clark scored to instrumentality the necktie to other time.
However, with penalties looming, centre-back Ballard powered Enzo Le Fee’s country successful disconnected the crossbar to stun Frank Lampard’s visitors and publication the Black Cats’ spot astatine Wembley connected May 24.
A frantic archetypal fractional saw chances astatine some ends, with Le Fee volleying off-target for Regis Le Bris’ hosts portion Jack Rudoni prodded implicit the crossbar for Coventry.
Sunderland grew much and much tense arsenic the 2nd fractional went connected arsenic Lampard’s broadside sent a barrage of crosses into their area, and Coventry’s equaliser arrived erstwhile Mason-Clark side-footed Milan van Ewijk’s transportation into the bottom-right country successful the 76th minute.
The Sky Blues should person won it 3 minutes into stoppage time, but Haji Wright someway nodded wide from six yards retired arsenic Sunderland survived until other time.
Sunderland improved successful the further period, but it was not until the 3rd infinitesimal of stoppage clip that they got their goal, Ballard stooping to divert Le Fee’s transportation successful disconnected the woodwork and spark chaotic celebrations astatine the Stadium of Light.
There are nary words for this moment. pic.twitter.com/lFjWrNO2R6
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) May 13, 2025
Data debrief: Black Cats propulsion it retired of the bag
Sunderland are conscionable 1 crippled distant from returning to the Premier League for the archetypal clip since their 2017 relegation, having ended Coventry’s cleanable distant grounds successful the play-offs – they had won their erstwhile 2 specified games, 4-1 astatine Notts County and 1-0 astatine Middlesbrough.
Sunderland, meanwhile, had finished the Championship play with 3 consecutive 1-0 defeats astatine home. They had ne'er mislaid 4 consecutive location matches without scoring, and though they failed to find a mode done successful 90 minutes, they got the occupation done successful the end.
Including other time, Sunderland person inactive ne'er mislaid a play-off lucifer astatine Roker Park oregon the Stadium of Light, winning 7 and drafting two.
Coventry were near to rue Wright’s 93rd-minute miss, from a accidental with an expected goals (xG) worth of 0.49. A stoppage-time extremity did spell successful fractional an hr later, ending their promotion dream.
English (US) ·