Sunderland, managed by Tony Mowbray, overcame a halftime deficit to beat West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns and secure a spot in the top six of the Championship. John Swift’s penalty just before halftime gave Albion a deserved lead, but Dennis Cirkin equalized with a header five minutes after the restart, courtesy of Lynden Gooch’s assist.
Gooch then scored a second six minutes before the end of the match after a brilliant team move. The loss ended Albion’s unbeaten home run of six months, which had lasted for 13 games since late October when Corberan took charge.
This result was a turnaround from the reverse fixture, where Albion came from behind to win 2-1 after conceding a first-half penalty. That match was the one that helped them escape the relegation zone and marked the beginning of their revival under Corberan.
Despite dropping to ninth place, they are only two points adrift of the playoff spots with a game in hand, which they will play against second-placed Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. However, the reality is that Sunderland outplayed them over the 90 minutes, and Albion were beaten by the better side.
Relive Sunderland’s victory at West Brom
Albion got off to a strong start after a turbulent reception from their home fans in the crowd of 24,764, who put down their protest banners to focus on supporting the team. They had an early penalty claim dismissed, but referee John Busby awarded a penalty just before halftime when Swift was fouled by O’Nien.
Swift converted the penalty, scoring his sixth league goal of the season, all of which have been penalties since the start of the year. Despite seeming on track to please their large crowd, Sunderland ended up coming out on top, with Cirkin scoring a header to level the game six minutes into the second half.
Although Albion had several attempts in the second half, Sunderland’s skillful play ultimately led to their victory. In the end, substitutes Michut and Pritchard combined to set up Cirkin, who controlled the ball and lifted a precise finish over Albion goalkeeper Palmer.
