SUNDERLAND brought down the curtain at the Stadium of Light with a rousing last home game of the season - a thrilling game of attacking football which hung in the balance until the final whistle.

It might not have been a game for the purists - especially the defensive minded - but there could be few complaints on the entertainment value of a tussle which must have reminded fans of both clubs of the memorable Play-Off Final at Wembley three years earlier which the Londoners won on penalties after being level 4-4 after extra-time.

On this occasion Sunderland were triumphant, completing their second double of the season and recording their first home League win since New Year's Day.

But even the most die-hard red-and-whiter would have admitted that Charlton's storming finale deserved a share of the spoils - and Addicks fans must have been wondering all the way back south how substitute Kevin Lisbie contrived to head wide from six yards in the final minute of normal time.

Charlton came to Wearside with the objective of avenging a home defeat back in November and making a last-ditch challenge for a top six spot.

They went about the task with gusto, having a team which puts the emphasis on attack and looks good for goals.

Their manager, Alan Curbishley, was not over-enamoured, however, about this cavalier approach, especially when it is only achieved at the expense of exposing weaknesses at the back.

He said: "If our defending had been better we might have got something out of the game.

"But that's the reason we're not in the top six - we have been letting too many goals in.

"It was a decent game and perhaps 3-3 would have been a fair result.

"The first half could have been 4-4 and the scoreline could have ended up anything. It might have good to watch for the neutrals but not for us."

Predictably, Sunderland boss Peter Reid was in a much happier frame of mind after seeing his side winning their second game in succession to maintain hopes of a late Euro gatecrash.

He said: "It was very similar to the Play-Off Final - not the best defensively but there was plenty of excitement and some good football.

"Possibly we shaded it on chances - but Charlton had a great chance to equalise in the last minute and to be honest I thought it was in.

"I was disappointed with their goals but I don't really want to criticise anything - all in all it was a really good football match, which is what I wanted, full of end-to-end stuff and good entertainment.

It was certainly refreshing to see two teams have a real go at each other and abandon the cat-and-mouse tactics which so often taint Premiership matches.

Kevin Kilbane, so often the target for crowd discontent this season, sometimes bearing the brunt of the crowd's frustration, looked a totally different played after being buoyed by his match-winning strike at Southampton the previous week, following hard on the heels of his goal for the Eire.

He would have been on the score-sheet in the seventh minute had full-back Mark Fish not cleared off the line.

But he was soon back on the offensive, putting Sunderland ahead with another breath-taking finish.

He sliced his way between two defenders and walloped a shot with the outside of his right foot past the helpless Sasa Illic from the edge of the box.

The goal seemed to sting Charlton into action and home keeper Thomas Sorensen had to make a great save from 14-goal leading scorer Jonatan Johansson.

But the Londoners were quickly back on the offensive and Mathias Svensson equalised with a spectacular over-head kick after the hard-working and adventurous John Robinson opened up the home defence.

Two minutes later the home side were ahead again as Niall Quinn rose majestically to head home a pin-point centre from Stefan Schwarz - and the ding-dong pace continued right up to the half-time whistle, with excellent attacking moves ending with shots raining in on both goals.

When the England striker ended a five-game goal drought in the 50th minute, scoring with a right-foot volley after a cleverly-worked short corner by Don Hutchinson it, looked as though Sunderland had the points in the bag.

But ten minutes later Danish midfielder Claus Jensen, Charlton's most industrious midfielder, finished with a powerful, low right foot shot to give his side new heart and set up an thrilling final half-hour.

Charlton did everything but equalise, with their own players getting in the way of shots and the upright coming to Sunderland's rescue when Sorensen was beaten by Steve Brown.

The pace hardly slackened and Charlton finally seemed to have got the reward their all-out enterprise so richly deserved in the 89th minute when substitute Shaun Newton centred perfectly for Lisbie to rise high and meet on the edge of the six-yard box.

For an agonising split second an equaliser looked inevitable - but Lisbie's header flew wide. It was the miss of the season.