WHERE do you start? Probably at the very end. Sunderland were seconds away from one of their most impressive wins of the season. They were seconds away from closing the gap to the play-offs to just four points. And with a kind run of games coming up, who knows what they could have achieved in the run-in.

But then, at the very end of the most dramatic game of the season, there was one final painful twist. A foul from Pierre Ekwah, a Hull City penalty. A goal. The eighth of the game. It finished 4-4.

Sunderland had been so close. They trailed 1-0 and 3-2 yet twice hit back to lead 2-1 and 4-3. The Stadium of Light was bouncing and after the spirited draw at Burnley this brilliant show of character would have given the Black Cats a huge boost had they held on for three points and their first win on home turf in five games.

Sunderland aren’t out of the play-off race but for a team trying to close a six-point gap, this will be a tough blow to recover from.

For the neutral, this was some watch. Looking at the table before the game, Sky bosses must have wondered why they picked this for live coverage. Come full-time, they’ll have been patting themselves on the back.

Sunderland’s players came within seconds of giving themselves a big pat on the back as well. The way they recovered from twice trailing was quite brilliant but they couldn’t see it out. A lack of strikers has been a big issue on Wearside in the second half of the season but here the problem was at the other end – for both teams.

The defending throughout was charitable – and that’s being kind. Sunderland gifted Hull their third goal and the fourth was a rush of blood to the head of Ekwah in the dying seconds when he stuck out a leg in the box.

Hull had only won one of their last nine games, form that led to reports this week that boss Liam Rosenior could be set to lose his job. If he was at all concerned, his anxiety will have been eased by Hull’s early opener on Wearside, Ozan Tufan rifling home the opener after just 11 minutes.

The goal came against the run of play. Sunderland had started brightly with Roberts flashing a shot just wide and a Gooch cross from the left clipping the post.

For all the first half was packed with goals, the pivotal moment was a brilliant save that kick-started two minutes of madness. Just after the 20-minute mark, Regan Slater had a glorious chance to double Hull’s lead but was superbly denied by Anthony Patterson. Had that gone in and Sunderland found themselves 2-0 down against a team very comfortable in possession, it could have turned into a long evening on Wearside.

But instead of going a couple of goals down, Sunderland instead found themselves level, for the Black Cats broke at speed after Patterson’s save and found the net themselves. Jack Clarke led the charge and although he miss-hit his shot inside the box, Gelhardt was on hand to roll home the equaliser, his second goal since his January arrival.

It soon got even better for Sunderland. From the restart, shellshocked Hull gave the ball away and Amad took full advantage, marking his return to the starting XI with a goal.

Hull could have crumbled after the two-minute turnaround but soon hit back with the third goal in a four-minute spell. Patterson initially did well to save from Pelkas but Allahyar Sayyadmanesh was on hand to ram home the leveller, his effort crashing in off the crossbar.

After four minutes of madness came relative calm as the game settled down again. Sunderland were bright at the start of the second half, Amad twisting and turning and Gelhardt a bundle of energy, shooting just over the bar.

Rosenior clearly wants his team to play out from the back but on more than one occasion it almost proved costly, Sunderland’s energetic press forcing the visitors into mistakes. City hardly ventured into Sunderland’s half in the first 10 minutes of the second period, the visitors clearly feeling the effects of not having a centre-forward on the pitch as they searched for an out-ball.

But centre-forwards aren’t all that necessary when defenders are charitable and Sunderland gifted Hull their third goal against the run of play. Trai Hume was robbed of the ball on the byline and Slater found the top corner.

But Sunderland fought back again.

Jack Clarke was sent tumbling in the box by Alfie Jones and Keith Stroud pointed to the spot. Amad stepped up and although Newcastle United loanee Karl Darlow got a hand to it, he couldn’t keep it out.

Sunderland were on the front foot again and got themselves in front when Clarke slotted home nine minutes from time. That was surely that. Unfortunately not for Sunderland. In the last second, there was one final twist.