Tony Mowbray delivers verdict on Sunderland win and the crucial second-half gamble that helped secure it

It was another afternoon in which Sunderland's lack of striking options caused them problems, the visitors sitting deep and breaking from midfield when they won the ball back.

It left the Black Cats trailing towards the end of the first half but Trai Hume levelled just before the interval, and Mowbray broke the game open midway through the second half by introducing Joe Gelhardt.

It left Sunderland with an ultra-attacking midfield but it paid off as Amad scored an outstanding goal. Mowbray's side then had to defend resolutely through the last ten minutes after Dennis Cirkin was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Tahith Chong.

"It was an important time to score the equaliser, we started really sharp and then they score with one of their first attacks," Mowbray said.

"It was important to score before half time to give us that confidence and belief that we could go on and win the game. It was about finding a way to win, when you've got players like Amad who can do that then we've always got a chance. Clarke has done it plenty, Roberts has done it, we do have the players who can unlock defensive units.

"It was a tough game, attritional, a team in a midblock who tried to frustrate us. We tried to play through them because it's the only way we can play at the moment without a target forward or real speed in behind. It gives teams a chance against us and their goal is a perfect example because you normally wouldn't force the ball in that area of the pitch, but we kept going and found a way.

"I sat with the staff for 20 seconds and we had that debate, and we decided to gamble the game really. We felt it was worth gambling even if it meant we lost it, leaving Dan Neil virtually on his own with two tens in front of him. But we did create more chances. It's really dangerous with the youthfulness of our team to think we can start [like that] against good teams with just one midfielder like that.

"We just felt it was worth the gamble at that stage and we did have the chances after. We could have made it a bit easier but we dug in at the end and found a way. We won a lot of headers and put our bodies on the line."

Sunderland now sit just one point off the play-off places, but Blackburn Rovers have two games-in-hand and play one of those against Hull City on home turf tonight.

"It's one point at the moment, obviously Blackburn play at home tonight," Mowbray said.

"I've just said to the players there, 'make it exciting right to the death if we can'. Let's try and get to Preston with something to play for, but we'll only do that if we can take points from the next three games."