AN afternoon that had been all about Ross Stewart ended with Sunderland supporters serenading Ellis Simms. After spending the best part of three months playing without a recognised centre-forward, the Black Cats now find themselves spoiled for choice in the final third.

Stewart’s return to the starting line-up for the first time in more than three months helped transform Sunderland’s attacking play against a Blackburn side that are pushing for promotion, with the Scotsman leading the line effectively and underlining just what the Black Cats missed during the three months in which he was sidelined with a thigh injury.

Stewart put the ball through his own net to hand Blackburn an 18th-minute lead, with his attempted defensive header from Tyler Morton’s free-kick rebounding off Dennis Cirkin, but showed impressive resolve as he atoned immediately by winning and then converting a penalty at the other end.

The Scot’s return to the starting line-up meant Simms found himself demoted to the bench, but having been presented with an opportunity to make a game-changing intervention after he was introduced in place of Patrick Roberts with 11 minutes remaining, the Everton loanee struck in the first minute of stoppage time as he prodded home following a lay-off from Dan Ballard.

It is unlikely to be too long before Tony Mowbray is pairing Stewart and Simms together, and having made a decent fist of guiding his side through a period where a lack of attacking resources was a major issue, the Sunderland boss is understandably excited at the prospect of starting with two of the most effective forwards in the Championship.

Yesterday’s efforts mean Stewart and Simms have already claimed 13 goals between them this season, a hugely-impressive tally given the number of games they have missed. Throw in the likes of Roberts, Amad Diallo, Jack Clarke and Alex Pritchard, and you have the makings of an attack that should be capable of keeping the Black Cats in the play-off mix in the second half of the campaign.

Sunderland missed Stewart badly during his absence, so it was no surprise to see Mowbray restoring the Scotsman to his starting line-up following his goalscoring cameo off the bench at Hull. What was rather more of a shock, however, was the way in which Stewart was involved in a goal at either end during a chaotic four-minute spell midway through the first half.

Blackburn’s opener came in the 18th minute, with Morton’s in-swinging free-kick causing panic within the Sunderland defence.

Stewart tried to clear with a stooping header, but instead of getting the ball away from danger, the Black Cats striker found his own net via a deflection of a combination of Cirkin and Daniel Ayala.

It was harsh on Sunderland’s leading scorer, but he made amends four minutes later as he both won and successfully dispatched a spot-kick.

Roberts’ failure to control a bouncing pass in the area saw the ball bounce into Stewart’s path, and as he shaped to shoot, the striker was sent tumbling by John Buckley’s awkward challenge. Stewart stepped up, and clinically claimed his second goal in consecutive matches.

The first half was a helter-skelter affair, with neither side able to exert any real control, although Sunderland were generally the more threatening team with the hosts going close again on the stroke of half-time.

The ball broke to Roberts on the edge of the area after Clarke’s mazy run was halted, but the forward dragged a low effort wide of the right-hand post.

Sunderland were forced into a change at the start of the second half, with Trai Hume replacing the injured Cirkin, and the substitute full-back immediately went close with a strike from the left of the box that Blackburn goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski clawed away.

Kaminski made routine saves from both Stewart and Amad to ensure the scores remained level, with Sunderland looking by far the more threatening team for most of the second period.

Mowbray’s late changes ultimately proved decisive, although an otherwise underworked Anthony Patterson was forced to make a crucial save with 18 minutes remaining to ensure the Black Cats did not fall behind.

A chasm of space opened up just outside the area as Morton advanced onto Bradley Dack’s square ball, but while the Blackburn midfielder made the most of it as he stroked a low shot towards the bottom corner, Patterson did superbly to fling himself to his left and turn the ball around the post.

It was a rare moment of involvement for the Sunderland goalkeeper, whose general lack of action reflected the quality of the defensive work in front of him. Blackburn boast one of the most potent forward lines in the league, with Dack and Ben Brereton-Diaz supporting Sam Gallagher, but the returning Ballard and the ultra-reliable Luke O’Nien combined superbly to restrict their opponents to limited opportunities.

As a result, the scoreline was still level as the clock ticked past the 90-minute mark, enabling Simms to make his match-winning intervention in stoppage time.

Ballard won a headed knock down from O’Nien’s free-kick, and reacted quickest to the bouncing ball as he prodded a square ball into Simms’ path.

The Everton loanee had a host of defenders around him, but held his composure superbly as he prodded home a clinical finish with the outside of his boot.

The win lifted Sunderland to within a point and a place of the play-off positions, a league position that most supporters would gladly have taken as 2022 draws to an end.