Referee Gavin Ward shows a red card to Chris Mepham of Sunderland during their 1-0 loss at Sheffield United
Sheffield United narrowly secured a 1-0 victory over promotion contenders Sunderland, propelling them to the top of the Championship table thanks to a late goal from substitute Tom Davies. Patrick Roberts failed to convert a penalty for Sunderland, and both teams saw a player sent off in the first half's final moments - Sunderland's Chris Mepham was followed by United defender Harry Souttar.
After a subdued start, Sunderland had a promising period but squandered opportunities to take the lead. Jobe Bellingham's shot was blocked, and the rebound fell to Tom Watson, who missed the target.
A penalty was awarded when Watson's run through the defence was halted by a foul from Jack Robinson. However, Roberts' penalty was saved by Michael Cooper.
Watson, posing a threat on the left, then shot wide from inside the box. Sunderland were reduced to 10 men five minutes before half-time when Mepham was deemed to have denied Tyrese Campbell a scoring opportunity, fouling the striker at the edge of the penalty area.
The numbers were evened out in added time at the end of the half when Souttar received his second yellow card for unnecessarily pulling down Wilson Isidor. United manager Chris Wilder made a substitution at the start of the second half, bringing on Femi Seriki for Callum O’Hare.
Seriki quickly got involved, setting up Alfie Gilchrist for a shot that was deflected wide.
Cooper was forced to make a save at the other end, stopping a low shot from Isidor. A free-kick awarded to the home side saw Harrison Burrows send his effort wide of Anthony Patterson’s right-hand post.
Vinicius Souza then fired a well-struck drive straight at Patterson, who was again called into action to save from Seriki at his near post. With less than 15 minutes left on the clock, both teams made a double substitution.
United brought on Davies and Ryan One for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Campbell, while the visitors introduced Eliezer Mayenda and Aji Alese in place of Roberts and Watson. After Sydie Peck sent an effort over the bar, he played a part in the game's only goal in the 83rd minute.
The ball fell to Davies on the right-hand side of the box, and his low shot beat Patterson’s desperate dive.
Get breaking Sunderland AFC news to your phone with WhatsApp
Did you know that you can get daily SAFC news sent straight to your device as soon as it happens through WhatsApp?
It's quick and easy to join. Just click this link and select 'Join Community' to get started.
Your informational will be hidden, you'll only ever receive messages from the Chronicle Live sports team, and you can leave any time you like. For more information, click here. You can read our Privacy Notice here.