Full TimePosted at 90’+7′ Second Half ends, Sunderland 4, Hull City 4.Post updatePenalty saved! Anthony Patterson (Sunderland) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom left corner. Ozan Tufan (Hull City) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom left corner.Post updatePenalty conceded by Pierre Ekwah (Sunderland) after a foul in the penalty area.Post updateGoal! Sunderland 4, Hull City 4. Ozan Tufan (Hull City) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.Post updateFoul by Pierre Ekwah (Sunderland) on Regan Slater (Hull City).Post updateAttempt blocked. Regan Slater (Hull City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.Post updateAttempt saved. Joe Gelhardt (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.Post updateAttempt blocked. Joe Gelhardt (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.Post updateAttempt saved. Joe Gelhardt (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Ozan Tufan’s dramatic late penalty earned Hull City a point and dented Sunderland’s Championship play-off ambitions as the sides shared an epic 4-4 draw at the Stadium of Light. In a thrilling encounter between two teams who had drawn each of their previous three meetings, Jack Clarke set up two of Sunderland’s goals and looked to have struck a composed 81st-minute winner to keep the Black Cats’ hopes of extending their season alive. However, deep into second-half stoppage time, Pierre Ekwah fouled Regan Slater inside the penalty area and Tufan courageously stepped up to convert with the last kick of a game that will go down as one of the Championship’s most memorable.
Hull began brightly and took the lead when Tufan finished off a flowing passage of play to give Leroy Rosenior’s side an early advantage. Slater should have put City two ahead when he blasted a glorious chance straight at Anthony Patterson, but he was swiftly punished when Joe Gelhardt swept in an equaliser from Sunderland’s subsequent attack. The hosts then won possession in a dangerous area and Clarke teed up Amad Diallo to make it 2-1.
The scoring continued as Hull struck back through Allahyar Sayyadmanesh’s ruthless finish, crashing a first-time shot in off the crossbar from the rebound when Patterson’s brave save from Dimitrios Pelkas’ effort fell to him at a tricky angle. Slater atoned for his first-half wastefulness by holding off Trai Hume and cutting inside to restore City’s lead with a fierce strike 21 minutes after the break.
Just when Hull looked on course for a first win in eight editions of the fixture in the league, Sunderland won a penalty when Clarke was bundled to the ground by Alfie Jones and Diallo converted via goalkeeper Karl Darlow’s fingertips, claiming his 11th goal of the season to move level with Charlton pair Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Miles Leaburn as the leading marksman aged under 21 in the English Football League. Winger Clarke then showed comparable composure to complete an incisive move with nine minutes of regular time remaining in front of an enthralled home crowd.
Sunderland would have scored a fifth but for Clarke swiping wildly when he was set up by Diallo, only for Tufan to score his second and send Hull level on points with 16th-placed Birmingham City, eight points clear of the relegation zone. Their part in a classic left Sunderland six points adrift of Blackburn Rovers, who occupy the final play-off place, and have a nine-goal inferiority to Tony Mowbray’s team.
Hull boss Liam Rosenior told BBC Radio Humberside: “I’m lost for words. The first 20-to-25 minutes was everything I want to see in a team of mine. Then we get so complacent and confident that we gift them two goals out of absolutely nothing. We showed persistence and resilience to get back in the game and went 3-2 up through an unbelievable goal from Regan.” This game probably sums up our season – it was nowhere near a [Sunderland] penalty. Then we go back on the front foot, give a cheap pass away and, three passes later from a throw-in, it’s in our goal and we’re chasing the game.” That’s one of the most enjoyable games I’ve been a part of. Tony showed so much class – just before we took the penalty, he said ‘you don’t deserve to lose the game.’ Hopefully we enjoy ourselves with three points in the bag in future.”
Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Newcastle: “It was a slow start from a few of the players. We had words at half-time to liven up and we were much better in the second half, when I can’t really remember them getting near our goal.” He added that they are learning at the coalface as they go along and that it was a harsh lesson for Pierre Ekwah to make a tackle in the box right at the death. Mowbray concluded that they are playing against teams with much more experience in the league but that there is lots to be pleased about and work on.