Sunderland break Frank Lampard's heart with stunning 123rd MINUTE winner to beat Coventry and reach the Championship play-off final

At slightest this saves Frank Lampard a 2 expansive barroom bill. Saying that, the Coventry brag could bash with a portion aft Sunderland’s last-gasp winner.

It was pursuing Derby’s 4-3 aggregate triumph implicit Leeds astatine this signifier six years agone that helium enactment his recognition paper down the barroom during an impromptu pub stop. His squad past mislaid successful the last to Aston Villa.

This time, though, determination volition beryllium nary final. That volition beryllium contested by Sunderland and Sheffield United aft Dan Ballard headed a 123rd-minute extremity that astir sent the Stadium of Light extortion into the North Sea.

We tin lone anticipation the Wembley spectacle is amended the bulk of this 2nd leg, though. Not that Sunderland volition kick astir the aesthetics of their bumpy transition to the capital. We’ve seen much of the Black Cats connected Netflix than Match of the Day successful caller years. And reruns of Sunderland 'Til I Die would person surely made amended viewing than this game, astatine slightest until the last act. Before that, the ambiance did not get the contention it deserved.

It was not until Ephron Mason-Clark’s 76th-minute volleyed goal, from Milan Van Ewijk’s centre, that we had immoderate composure successful beforehand of the posts. Before that, they’d swiped precocious and wide. Sunderland had moved their advertizing boards person to the transportation to trim the scope of Van Ewijk’s agelong throw-ins. He mightiness person had his hands tied, but his feet were escaped to bash their worst and his transportation was the champion of the evening.

That forced extra-time and it looked similar we were heading for penalties earlier Ballard’s melodramatic intervention.

The Stadium of Light has ever done the large nights well. There conscionable person not been capable of them of late. Since relegation from the Premier League successful 2017, this was undoubtedly the biggest. Their lone different Championship play-off semi-final 2nd limb was an distant decision astatine Luton 2 years ago.

This time, 46,000 had a signifier to power and intimidate, and precise fewer stadiums bash tribal similar this one. The pitchside flamethrowers astir apt cooled those successful the stands successful the seconds earlier kick-off, specified was the fury with which they welcomed their ain and scorched the opposition. It felt similar the uncorking of 8 years of frustration.

‘Wise Men Say’ was the opus that sent them into battle, and the omniscient men successful these parts were saying this necktie was acold from over, contempt Sunderland’s first-leg advantage. They person seen however those documentaries tin play out.

What was astir decidedly unwise was Wilson Isidor’s determination to dive erstwhile attempting to burst wide connected the borderline of Coventry’s punishment country aboriginal successful the game. Too aboriginal to beryllium carrying a yellowish paper successful the vigor of this occasion. And the occasion, it seemed, was impacting the prime connected the pitch. In truth, determination was nary quality. A aviator occurrence for the Premier League this was not.

Mason-Clark did amusement a small escapade erstwhile helium danced infield from the left, but it led down a unsighted alley and his eventual changeable was thing much than catching signifier for Anthony Patterson. At the different end, Eliezer Mayenda did a jig of his ain past a mates of Sky Blue jerseys but, likewise, it lone led to a acheronian place.

Indeed, determination was small illumination successful a archetypal fractional hr of dense touches and airy heads. Then, Coventry recovered immoderate composure, astatine slightest until they got successful beforehand of goal. The visitors finished the archetypal fractional overmuch the stronger and should person led erstwhile archetypal Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and past Jack Rudoni prodded implicit the barroom from wrong the six-yard area. Two bully chances, 2 atrocious finishes.

For Sunderland, determination was nary power oregon condemnation to thing they did. They looked similar a broadside who had mislaid their past 5 matches of the regular season. Enzo Le Fee, the Roma loanee who is bully capable for the Premier League, was excessively peripheral. Isolated connected the left, helium had a ringside spot but was watching others propulsion the punches. Not that immoderate were landing. Come half-time, the teams had traded 1 changeable connected target.

From noisy to nervy, the temper had changed entering the 2nd half. Forty-five minutes waiting for the doorbell is hardly an enticing prospect.

Belatedly, aft the hour, they dragged themselves from the ropes and gloved up. Full-back Trai Hume sent a spectacular volley goalwards and Ben Wilson someway smuggled the shot astir the post. It was a stunning effort hardly successful keeping with what had gone before.

Jobe Bellingham had done his champion content of his member for excessively overmuch of the archetypal half, the mentation who has ghosted done excessively galore Real Madrid matches of late. Then, erstwhile his squad needed him, the younger sibling stepped up. He rather virtually stepped up erstwhile jumping to his feet aft a goalmouth melee and going forehead to forehead with goalkeeper Wilson.

The ambiance needed that, stoking those location flames successful information of petering out. The confrontation brought a roar of support from the reddish and achromatic masses. As did each clearance from Dan Ballard and Luke O’Nien. Each time, it felt similar 1 footwear person to Wembley.

But then, the footwear successful the crotch. With 14 minutes near connected the clock, Coventry close backmost Van Ewijk hoisted a transverse from the close and Mason-Clark stole successful to cushion the shot into the bottommost corner. Lampard celebrated arsenic if his broadside had won, for that was the alleviation of drafting parity successful a necktie that had felt arsenic if it was slipping away. It was a feeling that would not last.