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Late Murphy goal takes the points for Sunderland
Substitute Daryl Murphy ensured Sunderland will play in next seasons Barclays Premier League with a last-gasp winner against Middlesbrough.
A week after the Black Cats had woefully misfired in a derby clash with Newcastle, Roy Keane claimed the bragging rights and the points which make relegation an impossibility thanks to Murphy's injury-time header in a thrilling encounter at the Stadium of Light.
The game looked to be heading for a draw - which would not have been the worst result for either side - when Boros record signing Afonso Alves fired home a 73rd-minute equaliser.
The Teessiders had got off to the perfect start when Tuncay Sanli gave them a fourth-minute lead, but Danny Higginbotham equalised within two minutes as a compelling contest which neither side could afford to lose ebbed and flowed in front of 45,059 nervous spectators.
Michael Chopra made it 2-1 in first-half injury time and then passed up another golden opportunity before Alves looked to have snatched a point for the visitors.
SUNDERLAND are safe, Middlesbrough are sweating. Football seasons can turn on the tiniest of margins, and Daryl Murphy's stoppage-time winner ensured wildly differing moods on Wearside and Teesside at the final whistle of this afternoon's game.
For Sunderland, it was a time for celebration. The Black Cats are now mathematically certain of playing in the Premier League next season, and the final two games of the campaign have become something of an irrelevance. The latest in a long line of last-gasp winners proved the most important of the lot.
For Middlesbrough, though, the prevailing feeling was one of nervousness. Gareth Southgate's side are now just four points clear of 18th-placed Birmingham with two games of the season to play, and next weekend's home game with Portsmouth could hardly be more important.
Lose that, and Boro could find themselves having to beat Manchester City on the final day of the season to secure their Premier League status.
The Teessiders will feel aggrieved at the manner of this afternoon's defeat - especially given that Sunderland scored a last-minute equaliser at the Riverside earlier this season - but they can have few complaints about the result.
Sunderland were the better side for the majority of the contest, created by far the better chances, and merited all three points. Only they will know why they felt the need to leave it so late though.
Kenwyne Jones gave England wannabe David Wheater arguably his most difficult afternoon of the season, Brad Jones made mistake after mistake in the Middlesbrough goal, and Liam Miller and Kieran Richardson ensured that the Black Cats dominated the midfield battle.
Sunderland also displayed impressive resolve, battling back from the disappointment of conceding a third-minute opener to Tuncay Sanli to exit the field at half-time with a 2-1 advantage courtesy of goals from Danny Higginbotham and Michael Chopra.
Afonso Alves hauled Boro level in the 73rd minute - the Brazil international providing another glimpse of the obvious ability that persuaded Southgate to shell out £12.7m to secure his services - but Murphy's winner rendered his low shot all but irrelevant.
Alves is capable of big things in a Boro shirt next season, but it remains to be seen whether those big things occur in the top-flight.
Sunderland, on the other hand, have no such worries any longer.
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While Roy Keane's men left the pitch reflected on a job well done, the Teessiders still have work to do to ensure they enjoy another season of top flight football.
There had been an air of rumbling discontent on Wearside during the week in the wake of last Sunday's derby defeat at Newcastle in which the Black Cats had turned in an insipid first-half display to allow the Magpies to wrap up the points long before they finally found their feet.
Much of the debate had centred around Roy Keane's decision to play Kenwyne Jones as a lone striker and pack his midfield, partially in an attempt to protect an injury-afflicted defence.
But where the team-sheet last weekend had been received with groans, there was approval this time around for a game both sides really needed to win with the inclusion of Chopra and Kieran Richardson suggesting a 4-4-2 formation, and that was to prove the case.
However, the defensive frailty which had cost the Wearsiders so dearly at St James Park returned to haunt them within four minutes, just as it had on Tyneside.
Alves and Tuncay had already combined once to split the home rearguard, but Keane's men did not heed the warning and when the Brazilian slid his Turkish counterpart through the cover, he fired past Craig Gordon to get Boro off to the perfect start.
Sunderland's response was instant and had it not been for Andrew Taylor's heroic block in front of goal, they would have been back on level terms within seconds.
In the event, it took them just two minutes to restore parity when Higginbotham, who scored against Newcastle at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season, powered a header past Brad Jones from Danny Collins cross.
Tuncay might have helped himself to a second goal when he met Stewart Downings 27th-minute cross with a downward header, but his effort flew agonisingly wide of the post with Gordon beaten.
However, Chopra came up with the perfect reply when, in injury time, he ran on to Liam Miller's through-ball, and having skipped past Wheater with the help of a ricochet, and blasted a left-foot shot home off the underside of the bar.
Sunderland were quick to re-establish their momentum after the break and after Chopra had seen an early shot blocked, Kenwyne Jones might have increased their lead within two minutes of the restart.
The £6 million man did well to hold off both Wheater and Emanuel Pogatetz, but as the keeper came out to meet him, he could only stub his shot straight at him.
Chopra might have done better when he fired high over after running on to Carlos Edward's 51st-minute pass, and a harsh offside flag robbed him of another chance to test Jones four minutes later.
Kenwyne Jones and Pogatetz both needed treatment for cuts after a clash of heads as the battle continued at a frenetic pace.
But it was Chopra who went close to his sides third goal with 68 minutes gone when he poked Dean Whitehead's cross towards goal only to see Jones make a fine reaction save.
It was then that Boro started the final push, and had it not been for vital blocks from Whitehead and Gordon, Stewart Downing might have levelled after 73 minutes.
However, the home defence cracked seconds later when Julio Arca's deflected shot ran to Alves, who did not make the cleanest of contacts, but got enough on the ball to slide it past the keeper and just inside the far post.
But with the clock having ticked into five minutes of injury time, Murphy caught Jones all at sea at the near post to glance Grant Leadbitter's corner home for a precious late winner.
Watch the match highlights from Monday, April 28
5:17pm Saturday 26th April 2008
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