S’land 4 – 4 Hull City

Ozan Tufan’s 98th-minute penalty rescued a sensational 4-4 draw for Hull at the Stadium of Light which could put an end to Sunderland’s play-off bid in the Championship.

It looked as if Jack Clarke had decided a breathless encounter but Regan Slater was brought down by Pierre Ekwah inside the box in the final minute of stoppage time, and Tufan made no mistake from the spot.

The Turkish striker gave Hull the lead after 11 minutes with a well-taken finish high beyond goalkeeper Anthony Patterson – but the game was turned on its head just moments after Dimitrios Pelkas was denied a second for the visitors.

Sunderland counter-attacked and Clarke inadvertently scuffed his shot into the path of Joe Gelhardt to level (21).

Just 79 seconds later, the hosts were ahead as Hull were sloppy in possession from kick-off and Amad Diallo combined with Clarke to tuck home a composed finish beyond Karl Darlow (22).

But Sunderland’s joy was short-lived as Allahyar Sayyadmanesh levelled with a controlled finish just three minutes later after Patterson had kept out Pelkas’ initial shot.

The goals continued to flow in the second half as Slater restored Hull’s lead after a mistake from Trai Hume (66). But Sunderland roared back and equalised through Diallo’s penalty after a foul by Alfie Jones on Clarke inside the box.

Clarke then thought he had had the final say in a pulsating match as he tucked home his eighth Championship goal of the season to send the home fans into raptures.

Sunderland had seemingly kept alive their flickering hopes of gatecrashing the Championship play-offs – but Tuzan’s penalty ensured the points were shared.

The hosts move up to 11th with the draw, leapfrogging Watford, six points off Blackburn and the final play-off spot. Hull stay in 17th, eight points clear of the relegation zone.

More to follow…