BLACK CATS LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

Roberts stunner revives play-off hopes

- Chris Dunlayy

A 95th-MINUTE stunner from Patrick Roberts saw Sunderland take their unlikely play-off charge to the final day.

Trailing to headers from Christian Kabasele and Ryan Porteous, the Black Cats clawed their way back through Luke O’Nien, before Roberts raised the roof with a 30-yard curler from a ridiculous angle.

The result leaves Sunderland two points shy of Millwall in sixth, three adrift of fifth-placed Coventry and requiring a win in their final fixture away at Preston to stand any chance of reaching the top six.

“We wanted to win,” said manager Tony Mowbray, whose side would have gone sixth with victory. “But what this does is gives us clarity. If you’re sitting in fifth or sixth and you’re thinking about this and that permutation… no. We’ve got to go to Preston and win. We’ve got to get three points. Then we’ll see what happens.

“I’m pretty relaxed about it. I’m just really proud of these players because they’re young lads who are learning really fast and it’s a joy to watch them.