Bristol City 2-1 Sunderland AFC: FLW reports as Robins come back to beat Black Cats | OneFootball

A battle at the top of the Championship, as Bristol City hosted Sunderland.

Bristol City came back to beat Sunderland 2-1 at Ashton Gate, as goals from Rob Dickie and Ross McCrorie cancelled out Eliezer Mayenda's wonderful solo goal.

Disaster struck early on for Sunderland, as Trai Hume received a controversial red card for bringing down Nahki Wells at speed.

Despite this setback, the Black Cats weathered the storm that came their way from Bristol City, and took the lead thanks to a spectacular solo goal by Eliezer Mayenda. The young striker ran from inside his own half, all the way to the Robins' net, evading challenges on his way. This gave the Mackems a 1-0 lead heading into the break.

Just ten minutes into the second half, the Robins were back on level terms thanks to Rob Dickie's 25-yard strike. The defender's strike was one any striker would've been proud of.

Another defender was on the scoresheet to give Bristol City the lead. Ross McCrorie arrived onto a loose ball inside the box, and smashed home a low effort to complete the comeback, securing the hosts a 2-1 win.

Bristol City 2–1 Sunderland AFC

The top of the table clash almost started perfectly for the visitors. Skipper Dan Neil picked up the loose ball in midfield, starting a quick counter for his side. He found Tommy Watson on the left, who cut the ball back across goal, which Chris Rigg managed to control, only to drag his shot well wide.

Just seven minutes in, disaster struck for Sunderland. Wells got the better of Hume and was released on goal, and the right-back took a swipe at the Bermudan. Oliver Langford was left with no choice but to dismiss the Northern Irishman, as it was thought Hume denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Following the sending off, Bristol City looked to make the Mackems pay for their early dismissal. Joe Williams came closest in the opening 20 minutes, flashing a powerful shot just past the post.

Dickie then had an identical chance to Williams on the 25-minute mark. The centre-back found himself in space from about 25-yards out, firing a low driven shot towards goal that once again whistled just past the post.

Against the run of play, the ten-man Sunderland took the lead. Mayenda, who'd looked a real livewire all match with one of the best solo goals you're likely to see. The Spaniard picked up the ball in his own half, evaded two tackles, burst forwards and cut inside onto his left, before calmly slotting past Max O'Leary.

The Robins thought they'd responded quickly as George Earthy stroked home a rebounded effort that was initially saved by Anthony Patterson. However, the West Ham loanee was deemed to be offside by the linesman.

Half-time came and, despite being at a numerical disadvantage from the seventh minute, Regis Le Bris' men held a 1-0 lead. The Black Cats looked more than comfortable in dealing with everything Liam Manning's side threw at them.

Manning made an attacking alteration for the second half, as defender George Tanner was replaced by forward Yu Hirakawa.

The attacking change certainly made a difference, as the Robins had the Black Cats penned into their own half in the opening ten minutes of the second 45.

The pressure paid dividends, as centre-back Dickie pulled City level. Similar to his effort in the first half which sailed wide, this one caught flight and nestled in the top-right corner, leaving Patterson rooted to the spot.

The momentum was certainly with the home side now, as it was just wave after wave of Bristol City attacks. However, if they wanted to find the winner, it would take a moment of magic to break down the stout Sunderland defence.

As the clock hit 75 minutes, Ashton Gate was sent into bedlam by McCrorie. The full-back arrived onto a loose ball in the box and drilled a low shot past Patterson. A goal that could have massive importance come the end of the season. The whole ground shook as the fans bounced around with joy.

A rare sight of goal came for Sunderland towards the end of the match. Substitute Wilson Isidor's header was directed goalwards, but he couldn't quite get it down to trouble O'Leary, who'd remained untested in the second half.

After three minutes of stoppage time, referee Langford had seen enough for the afternoon. Bristol City secured a massive three points to cement their place in the play-offs, and get one over on the team they could potentially face in the semi-finals.

Sunderland remain fourth, and that will be the case for the rest of the season unless there's a massive swing of goals.

Bristol City player ratings

M. O'Leary - 6

Z. Vyner - 6

R. Dickie - 8

C. Pring - 6

G. Tanner - 6 (Y' Hirakawa 46'(7))

J. Knight - 7

J. Williams - 6 (S. Twine 70'(6))

R. McCrorie - 7 (H. Roberts 90+2'(N/A))

M. Bird - 7 (A. Mehmeti 70'(7))

G. Earthy - 7 (M. McGuane 81'(6))

N. Wells - 7

Unused subs: S. Bajic, S. Armstrong, S. Bell, E. Morrison

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Sunderland AFC player ratings

A. Patterson - 6

T. Hume - 4 (Sent off 7')

C. Mepham - 6

L. O'Nien - 6

L. Hjelde - 6 (J. Anderson 83'(6))

D. Neil - 6

C. Rigg - 6 (J. Bellingham 61'(6))

P. Roberts - 6 (W. Isidor 61'(6))

E. Le Fee - 6 (S. Abdul Samed 61'(6))

T. Watson - 5

E. Mayenda - 8 (A. Browne 77'(6))

Unused subs: S. Moore, M. Aleksic, H. Jones, B. Middlemas

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Match attendance

It was a sold-out crowd at Ashton Gate with 25,915 fans present, including 3386 who made the long trip down from the North East.

Liam Manning reacts as Bristol City secure crucial win

Speaking to the press after the game, Bristol City boss Manning said: "Proud of the lads today.

"First-half, you get a big momentum shift from being 11v11 to losing one player. If you disconnect and switch off, you saw what happened in the first half.

"We're not about one person or one player, that's the key bit of it [Bristol City's success]."

Regis Le Bris reacts as Sunderland fall to play-off rivals

Speaking to the Northern Echo after the game, Sunderland manager Le Bris said: "The red card changed the dynamic of the game.

"With 10 men against 11 for 85 minutes, it was long. I think the decision was a bit harsh.

"We started well and probably after that for 20, 25 minutes, the game was balanced. We scored a positive goal and after that we defended well.

In this context, when there are many crosses and shots, you can make a mistake and the opponent can have a very good shot. The equaliser was positive for them and their energy."