Tom Flanagan's mistake, Bailey Wright blocked plus remarkable Sunderland statistic after Nathan Broadhead winner: Moments you may have missed against Shrewsbury

That must have been the thought going through many supporters’ minds as Sunderland headed into five minutes of stoppage time against Shrewsbury Town at the Stadium of Light.

In truth it shouldn’t have got to this stage, after the Black Cats had squandered a commanding two-goal lead in the second half.

Like against Gillingham and Oxford, the team were left chasing a winner heading into the final minute of the match, and – for the third successive fixture – it came.

Nathan Broadhead’s glancing header marked another last-gasp twist which significantly boosted Sunderland’s play-off hopes. Late goals are becoming something of a theme under Alex Neil.

In the Scot’s 11 games in charge, Sunderland have scored a remarkable nine goals after the 82nd minute.

Those late interventions have earned the side an additional 11 points in the race for a play-off place. That’s some difference.

Here are some of the moments you may have missed against Shrewsbury:

Tom Flanagan’s involvement

Chris Maguire, Connor Wickham, Declan John – now you can add Tom Flanagan to the list of former Sunderland players who have scored against the Black Cats this season.

To be fair to Flanagan, his celebration following his first goal for Shrewsbury was reserved, after drawing the visitors level with a volley in the 58th minute.

Yet the central defender will have been disappointed with the manner of Sunderland’s winner, with Broadhead evading his full attention.

When Jack Clarke crossed the ball from the left, Flanagan was the closest Shrewsbury player to Broadhead and tried to pass his man on to substitute Aaron Pierre.

The call came too late, though, as Broadhead slipped in between the pair to glance the ball past goalkeeper Marko Marosi. Potentially another big moment in Sunderland’s season.

Alex Neil’s reaction

After Broadhead scored the winner against Gillingham a fortnight ago, Neil was quick to celebrate with his staff on the touchline.

There was a different reaction here, though, as the Sunderland boss kept his arms folded and showed little emotion as Broadhead netted another crucial goal.

After a brief exchange with his backroom team, Neil called for his players to get back into their shape once celebrations had died down.

The Sunderland boss clearly wasn’t impressed with the way his side conceded a two-goal lead. ”It’s the first time we’ve been beaten up,” said Neil after the match. ”And that’s the worst thing for me, watching my team be beaten up.”

Bailey Wright blocked

While Sunderland started the second half poorly and allowed Shrewsbury back into the game, there were some complaints about the visitors’ first goal.

Shrews midfielder Josh Vela had plenty of space to side-foot the ball home from inside the area, with Sunderland centre-back Bailey Wright out of the game.

That was because Wright had tangled with Shrewsbury forward Ryan Bowman as the visitors broke forward.

As a result, Elliot Embleton was forced to drop further into his own box, meaning Vela was free to convert. Midfielder Jay Matete was also out of position after an attempted tackle on striker Daniel Udoh.

Wright protested to the referee following his collision with Bowman, yet it didn’t alter the outcome.