Eliezer Mayenda scored a late winner as Sunderland flipped the form book on its head to beat Coventry 2-1 and steal a march in their Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final.
Despite finishing seven points ahead of their opponents, Sunderland’s form had flat-lined towards the end of the regular season with five successive defeats and just one goal in a six-game winless streak.
But, after defending resolutely against a side they had lost 3-0 to in March, Sunderland were clinical on the counter-attack and Mayenda’s 88th-minute goal gave the Black Cats a 2-1 victory.
Wilson Isidor had put Sunderland ahead after 68 minutes but while their opponents were level within 110 seconds thanks to Jack Rudoni, Mayenda had the final say at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
We take a one-goal advantage back to the Stadium of Light! 👊#TilTheEnd pic.twitter.com/K1OrcrTYQP
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) May 9, 2025
Coventry had won seven of their last eight matches at home but they will now need to pick themselves up for Tuesday’s second leg at the Stadium of Light as they bid for a second play-off final in three years.
Sunderland’s lack of confidence was epitomised early on by Anthony Patterson flapping horribly and cleaning out a couple of his own defenders following Jay Dasilva’s innocuous header back into the area.
But as Haji Wright, Coventry’s hat-trick hero against Sunderland just a few weeks ago, tripped, the covering Luke O’Nien spared his goalkeeper’s blushes, clearing just a couple of feet from his own line.
The visitors, though, were largely content to soak up pressure and frustrate Coventry, while the half-chances were squandered as Ben Sheaf sliced wide from a decent position and Matt Grimes volleyed over.
Mayenda demonstrated Sunderland’s counter-attacking threat by bursting forward from his own half, shrugging off Liam Kitching’s challenge before firing just wide, with Ben Wilson well beaten.
For all of Coventry’s possession, that was the best chance of the half and the pattern continued after the interval, with Brandon Thomas-Asante unable to get on top of Dasilva’s cross as he headed over.
At the other end, Jobe Bellingham worked himself into an excellent position but struck team-mate Dan Ballard before Sunderland were rewarded from another break with Isidor finishing with aplomb.
The Frenchman ghosted into space down Sunderland’s left and latched on to Enzo Le Fee’s ball behind the Coventry defence before racing unchallenged into area and firing across a helpless Wilson.
How big could this goal be?! ⏱️#EFLPlayOffs | #StepUppic.twitter.com/040DbKxn0i https://t.co/bOEINjwjoU
— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) May 9, 2025
Perhaps in disbelief at their first goal in four matches, with Isidor ending a drought stretching back to February, Sunderland were uncharacteristically loose and conceded within two minutes of going ahead.
Milan van Ewijk, perhaps guilty of allowing Isidor too much space a couple of minutes earlier, raced to the byline and directed a cross for an unmarked Rudoni to head home his fourth goal in three games.
While the crowd erupted and the hosts pushed forward at every opportunity, Sunderland showed they were not settling for a draw as Patrick Roberts curled narrowly wide before Mayenda struck.
The 20-year-old took advantage of a wayward pass back from Van Ewijk to get to the ball first, round Wilson, who had hared out of his area, and coolly dispatched into an empty net.
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