Sheffield United vs Sunderland LIVE: Black Cats snatch 95th-minute winner to seal Premier League return
Sheffield United 1-2 Sunderland: The Black Cats staged the late show once again in the play-offs to return to the top-flight
Tom Watson fired in the greatest parting gift Sunderland could ask for as his 95th-minute play-off final winner sealed the Black Cats’ return to the Premier League.
Sunderland snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, having been roundly dominated by Sheffield United for much of the contest. The Blades took a deserving first-half lead through Tyrese Campbell before seeing a second chalked off for offside.
But after Eliezer Mayenda blasted home a crucial equaliser 14 minutes from time, Brighton-bound Watson slotted home a perfectly-placed effort in stoppage time to send Sunderland into bedlam and deliver promotion on Wearside.
Follow all of the latest from the Championship play-off final with our live blog below:
Sheffield United 1-0 Sunderland
50 mins: Sunderland, playing at their own fans, have the bit between their teeth. So much more intent in these first five minutes than we saw in the entirety of the previous 45.
Sheffield United 1-0 Sunderland
48 mins: Wasted corner opportunity as Rigg puts his delivery behind the goal.
They’re trying to be inventive and have started this half in a slightly better vein than the first, actually playing it around the opposition box.
BACK UNDERWAY! Sheffield United 1-0 Sunderland
And we’re off again!
No team changes for Sunderland, which is surprising.
Here come the players...
Second half about to get underway. Just one goal separates the sides, but Sunderland have a lot of work to do.
HALF-TIME! Sheffield United 1-0 Sunderland
HALF-TIME! Sheffield United 1-0 Sunderland
Look what Campbell’s opener meant to Chris Wilder!
HALF-TIME! Sheffield United 1-0 Sunderland
That’s all she wrote for the first half - and even at one goal, it currently looks a long way back for Sunderland.
After losing club veteran Luke O’Nien in the first five minutes due to a dislocated shoulder, they were hardly able to get a sniff at the Sheffield United goal.
They fell behind through a devastating Blades counter, with Gus Hamer inspiring a break brilliantly finished off by Tyrese Campbell.
Sheffield United thought they had a second when Harrison Burrows fired in on the half-volley - only for it to be chalked off for offside.
If it was two, a Sunderland recovery may have already been out of the question. But as things stand, there is still hope. A huge second half coming up.
Sheffield United 1-0 Sunderland
45+7 mins: VAR briefly check a handball against Sheffield United, giving Sunderland fans a glimmer of hope of a late first-half equaliser. It doesn’t appear to be in the box or touch the man’s arm. So that clears that one up.
Sheffield United 1-0 Sunderland
45+6 mins: Rigg fires a bouncing half-volley towards Cooper’s goal - no trouble for the keeper, who will be happy to just see some of the ball.
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