Sunderland put one foot in the Capital One Cup final this evening with a 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the first leg of their semi-final.
The opening goal came with virtually the last kick of the first half as Wes Brown nodded a free kick across goal that Ryan Giggs poked into his own net in an attempt to prevent Phil Bardsley scoring.
The visitors were level less than 10 minutes after the restart when Nemanja Vidic headed home from a corner, but Sunderland grabbed the winner in the 64th minute when Fabio Borini converted from the penalty spot.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at a memorable night at the Stadium of Light.
Match statistics
Sunderland
Shots: 9
On target: 3
Possession: 43%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 14
Manchester United
Shots: 16
On target: 4
Possession: 57%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 15
Was the result fair?
A draw probably would have been the fairest reflection of how the match went, but it is hard to begrudge Sunderland the victory. They worked tremendously hard off the ball to defend their lead once they had regained it in the second half, and in the first half were a match for their more illustrious opponents.
The Black Cats were on top for the first 20 minutes, but then United started to ease into the match and, by the final whistle, it had been quite an even encounter. United had more shots but never forced Vito Mannone into a really taxing save, while David de Gea did have to make one smart stop. If either side deserved to win, it was Sunderland, but United would argue that they didn't deserve to lose.
Sunderland's performance
Very good. Performances like this leave you wondering how Sunderland are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League. They have now won six out of six cup games this season, including three against top-flight opposition. If they could transfer that form into the league then they would be out of trouble in no time.
However, for now they will savour a famous victory over United - their first in 21 attempts - and look to build on what was a very impressive performance. They showed a number of attributes that we haven't seen enough of this season, such as the ability to pass the ball around nicely and the desire to defend their goal at all costs. Play like this every game, and by the end of the season Sunderland would be closer to 10th than the relegation zone.
Manchester United's performance
The pressure on David Moyes keeps building, and this performance did nothing to stem the tide. They were totally outplayed in the opening 20 minutes, giving the ball away far too often, before finally settling down and starting to keep possession. Still, though, they rarely looked like threatening Mannone's goal. The keeper only had a couple of routine saves to make, while the Giggs effort that hit the bar was helped on its way by a deflection.
It is not often that you can say United lacked a cutting edge, but they did today. It is now three defeats on the bounce for the Red Devils, something that has not happened to them since 2001, while they are also still without a win in 2014.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Adnan Januzaj: He may have found himself on the losing side today, but Januzaj was the brightest spark on the pitch by some distance. Having announced himself with two goals in the same fixture earlier this season, he had another match to remember without getting himself on the scoresheet this time.
He did have the ball in the back of the net once, but it was rightly disallowed for offside against Ryan Giggs, while he came close on another couple of occasions. Positives are becoming few and far between for David Moyes, but this youngster is most certainly one.
Biggest gaffe
This one goes to Tom Cleverley for the clumsy tackle that resulted in Sunderland's match-winning penalty. The midfielder tracked Adam Johnson into the box before going in for the tackle with the wrong foot, lunging across his man with his right when he had a clear tackle on with his left. The challenge was even more silly considering Vidic was well-placed in the box to stop Johnson anyway.
Referee performance
Andre Marriner had a good game today, despite the relatively high number of yellow cards (7). His biggest decision was the penalty, which he eventually awarded after a long pause and a look at his assistant, who was flagging for the foul. Between them, the officials got the decision right, although it looked for a moment as if Marriner wasn't going to award anything.
What next?
Sunderland: Next up for the Black Cats is a huge Premier League survival battle against Fulham on Saturday.
Manchester United: United, meanwhile, will be looking to win for the first time this year when they host their FA Cup conquerors Swansea City at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Barney Corkhill
