Match ends, Wigan Athletic 1, Sunderland 4.
Ross Stewart's third goal in as many games since returning from injury helped Sunderland move up to fourth with a victory against a Wigan Athletic side that slid to the bottom of the Championship.
Ellis Simms nodded the Black Cats ahead from a yard out after Trai Hume worked the ball back across goal from a corner that followed a stunning double save from Jamie Jones to deny Amad Diallo and Abdoullah Ba.
Wigan's James McClean hit the post in response before Diallo crashed a shot off the underside of crossbar as Sunderland pressed for a second before the break.
Moments later the Latics had their equaliser, with Will Keane following up Anthony Patterson's save from Thelo Aasgaard to tap home.
Substitute Stewart added a second from the penalty spot after Tom Naylor's trip on Patrick Roberts, who went on to make it 3-1 with a deflected effort before Diallo added a brilliant fourth.
With results going Sunderland's way they moved into the play-off spots, while a third straight defeat for Kolo Toure's Latics saw them tumble to the foot of the table after Huddersfield beat Rotherham.
Simms, who came on as a substitute to score the winner against Blackburn on Monday to move Sunderland into the top half of the Championship, started against the Latics as Stewart dropped to the bench in one of five changes for the trip to the DW Stadium.
Australia's Bailey Wright made his first Black Cats start since returning from the World Cup, while on-loan Paris St-Germain midfielder Edouard Michut earned his first Sunderland start in a side missing Lynden Gooch and Dennis Cirkin through injury.
Wigan boss Toure made three changes in pursuit of his first win in management, recalling Tendayi Darikwa and Naylor to the starting line-up while handing Ashley Fletcher his first league start.
A superb double save from Jones - using his foot to first deny Diallo before clawing out Ba's follow-up attempt before it crossed the line - proved only to delay the Black Cats from taking the lead as Simms headed in from the resulting corner.
In two thrilling minutes late in the first half, McClean volleyed against the post for the hosts, Diallo was thwarted by the bar from a good position, and Keane levelled with a cool finish.
Four minutes after coming off the bench in the second half, Stewart levelled with a penalty that squeezed in off the foot of the post after Naylor's foul on Roberts, another of Sunderland's second-half substitutes.
Minutes after a heavy deflection saw Roberts add to the advantage, he exchanged passes with Diallo whose swerving effort from outside the box was the pick of Sunderland's goals.
'The fans can dream' - reaction
Wigan Athletic boss Kolo Toure:
"Conceding goals of course isn't great. But trying to score goals when you are losing is part of the game, you have to go for it.
"We are not a team that, when you are losing a game, you just try to defend.
"We want to come back in games, but when you do that, you can lose 4-1 - and that is very tough to take.
"The penalty, in my opinion, was harsh, and I don't think a team like Sunderland needed those kinds of decisions to help them. After that we are chasing the game, and you have to react to that."
Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray:
"We're competing, and the target for this club is still to stay in this league, and to try and compete around mid-table.
"That might be the case come the end of the season, depending on how the squad survives the rigours of the campaign.
"At the moment, we're not dreaming of anything else, the fans can dream of course, because we're in the mix at the moment with loads and loads of other good clubs.
"Lose two games, though, and all of a sudden you're 15th. Win two games, and all of a sudden you're fourth."
Line-ups
Wigan
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Jones
- 27Darikwa
- 32HughesSubstituted forNyambeat 17'minutes
- 16TiltBooked at 61mins
- 11McCleanBooked at 11mins
- 8Power
- 4Naylor
- 19LangSubstituted forEdwardsat 74'minutes
- 10Keane
- 30AasgaardSubstituted forShinnieat 62'minutes
- 23Fletcher
Substitutes
- 2Nyambe
- 6Cousins
- 7Edwards
- 12Amos
- 18Shinnie
- 20Broadhead
- 21Bennett
Sunderland
Formation 3-4-3
- 1Patterson
- 5BallardBooked at 59mins
- 26Wright
- 13O'Nien
- 32Hume
- 25MichutSubstituted forPritchardat 62'minutesSubstituted forMateteat 68'minutes
- 24Neil
- 20ClarkeSubstituted forRobertsat 62'minutes
- 16Diallo
- 9SimmsSubstituted forStewartat 62'minutes
- 17BaSubstituted forDajakuat 71'minutes
Substitutes
- 7Dajaku
- 10Roberts
- 12Bass
- 14Stewart
- 19Bennette
- 21Pritchard
- 27Matete
- Referee:
- Michael Salisbury
- Attendance:
- 14,615
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home42%
- Away58%
- Shots
- Home7
- Away13
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away7
- Corners
- Home1
- Away4
- Fouls
- Home19
- Away14
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Wigan Athletic 1, Sunderland 4.
Post update
Foul by Jay Matete (Sunderland).
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Ashley Fletcher (Wigan Athletic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Jay Matete (Sunderland).
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Gwion Edwards (Wigan Athletic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Goal!
Goal! Wigan Athletic 1, Sunderland 4. Amad Diallo (Sunderland) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner.
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Jay Matete (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Gwion Edwards (Wigan Athletic).
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Foul by Daniel Neil (Sunderland).
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Max Power (Wigan Athletic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Goal!
Goal! Wigan Athletic 1, Sunderland 3. Patrick Roberts (Sunderland) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Daniel Neil.
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Attempt blocked. Amad Diallo (Sunderland) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Daniel Neil.
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Dan Ballard (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Graeme Shinnie (Wigan Athletic).
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Attempt missed. Max Power (Wigan Athletic) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Substitution
Substitution, Wigan Athletic. Gwion Edwards replaces Callum Lang.
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Offside, Wigan Athletic. Max Power tries a through ball, but Tom Naylor is caught offside.
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Foul by Ross Stewart (Sunderland).
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Curtis Tilt (Wigan Athletic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Comments
Join the conversation
May you all Rest in Eternal Peace.♥️♥️
You can only beat what is in front of you and despite being badly out of form Wigan isn't an easy place to go and get a result.
Fourth tonight is way,way,way beyond where I thought we would be at the turn of the year.
Brilliant for the 4500 who travelled across.
Here's to a great New Year! Take care, Black Cats, everywhere.
Maybe be the Beeb don't want to deal in facts & facts are Pele you are the greatest so RIP .
The Northeast is really starting to thrive and it's been a long time coming.
All the best from a BHA fan 👏 👊
Keep the faith
We would have been happy with consolidation after many seasons of upheaval but the owners might have to re-assess that now?