Sunderland booked their place in the Championship play-off final with a last gasp aggregate win over Frank Lampard’s Coventry City.
Dan Ballard’s goal in the final moments of extra time saw the Black Cats secure a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light, booking their place at Wembley by winning 3-2 on aggregate.
Ballard struck late to secure Sunderland a Wembley date with Sheffield UnitedGetty It’s heartache for Lampard’s CoventryPAA goal by Ephron Mason-Clark saw the Sky Blues win the match after the 90 minutes, sending the semi-final tie to extra time after Sunderland won the first leg 2-1.
It looked set to be determined by a dreaded penalty shootout but Ballard turned a corner home with a combination of his head and his body in stoppage time at the end of extra time to settle matters.
Ballard’s heroics sparked ecstasy among the Sunderland faithful, with some fans even making their way onto the pitch once the full-time whistle was blown.
Regis Le Bris’ men are now one win away from a return to the Premier League, where they will face Sheffield United in the capital on May 24.
With the LED boards surrounding the pitch significantly closer than usual to the playing surface – perhaps no coincidence with Milan van Ewijk’s long throw among the visitors’ armoury – the game kicked off amid thunderous noise on a night when the hosts announced their decision to name the West Stand after 1973 FA Cup-winning goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery.
In a high-tempo opening, Mason-Clark warmed Anthony Patterson’s hands with a well-struck 17th-minute effort.
But it was opposite number Ben Wilson who had to be at his best to keep out Eliezer Mayenda’s skidding attempt after he had turned Matt Grimes superbly and raced in on goal.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto dragged a shot wide from the edge of the area after Grimes’ corner had been cleared on the half-hour and Jack Rudoni missed his kick in front of goal after the home defence had failed to deal fully with a Grimes free-kick.
Sakamoto skied over from Rudoni’s ball back across goal and Rudoni was equally inaccurate from Mason-Clark’s knock-down as an increasingly open half drew to a close with the tie as evenly-poised as it was ahead of kick-off.
The Sky Blues picked up where they had left off, Sakamoto seeing a 52nd-minute strike from a Grimes corner blocked before Van Ewijk blasted the rebound wide, and although Patrick Roberts scuffed a shot harmlessly off target seven minutes later, Coventry continued to look the more likely scorers.
Mason-Clarke struck late in the second half to give Coventry a deserved win in the 90Getty But Ballard and the Black Cats had the final sayGetty Jobe Bellingham is one win away from becoming a Premier League playerGetty Expect the Sunderland fans to party all nightPARed and white nerves were jangling on and off the pitch, although they might have been settled had Wilson not got down at his near post to turn away Trai Hume’s 67th-minute volley from Luke O’Nien’s cross.
The Black Cats dropped ever deeper as Coventry continued to probe, and they were made to pay with 14 minutes remaining when Mason-Clark volleyed Van Ewijk’s cross in off the foot of a post to level the aggregate scores.
Romaine Mundle saw his extra-time shot cleared off the line by fellow substitute Josh Eccles.
But as Sunderland made their final push, Ballard crashed a header off the underside of the crossbar from Enzo Le Fee’s last-ditch corner to snatch victory and keep alive his side’s hopes of ending their eight-year Premier League exile.
Standing in their way are a Blades side who made it to the final in hugely comfortable circumstances, beating Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate in their tie.
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