Sunderland produced a remarkable turnaround in horrific weather conditions, overturning a two-goal deficit to defeat Bournemouth 3–2 and climb to fourth in the Premier League.
Bournemouth struck early, taking the lead in the seventh minute when Amine Adli tapped in his first goal for the club after Evanilson diverted Antoine Semenyo’s cross onto the post.
The visitors doubled their advantage soon after in spectacular fashion as Tyler Adams spotted goalkeeper Robin Roefs off his line and lofted the ball into the net from near the halfway line.
Just when Sunderland looked out of the contest, they were handed a lifeline on the half-hour mark.
Alex Scott was judged to have fouled Reinildo in the box, allowing Enzo Le Fée to confidently convert from the spot.
Moments into the second half, Sunderland were level thanks to a sharp, low strike from Bertrand Traoré that beat Djordje Petrovic at his near post.
Bournemouth briefly thought they had restored their lead, but Evanilson’s close-range finish was ruled out for offside.
That miss proved costly as Sunderland completed the comeback in the 69th minute when substitute Brian Brobbey rose highest to head in Le Fée’s corner.
The Cherries pushed hard for an equaliser, with Marcus Tavernier rattling the crossbar from the edge of the box, but their hopes were dented deep into stoppage time when Lewis Cook was shown a straight red card for elbowing Noah Sadiki.
Sunderland held firm to end a run of three matches without a win.
This was the first time Sunderland have ever won a Premier League match after trailing by two goals.
For much of the opening quarter-hour, the Black Cats looked second-best and were fortunate to still be in the contest.
But the penalty decision swung momentum their way, and from that moment they showed the kind of resilience that has defined their strong home form this season.
The win extends Sunderland’s unbeaten run at the Stadium of Light, where they have already collected more points (15) than in their entire previous Premier League season in 2016–17.
Brian Brobbey, introduced just after the hour mark, played the hero with only his second goal since arriving from Ajax-adding to the one he scored against Arsenal earlier this month.
Bournemouth will view this defeat as an opportunity squandered.
A win would have lifted them into the top four, but instead they leave with a third loss in four league games.
Lewis Cook’s late red card for violent conduct means he will miss the next three fixtures, while Marcos Senesi and David Brooks will also be unavailable after each collecting their fifth booking of the season.
Even manager Andoni Iraola found himself in the referee’s book for dissent.
There were, however, a couple of bright spots:
Antoine Semenyo returned after missing a match, and Tyler Adams delivered the moment of the game with his extraordinary 43.3-metre strike-the longest-distance goal scored in the Premier League this season.
