Sunderland 1-2 West Bromwich Albion: Baggies move out of drop zone

West Brom have won their past four Championship matches, having won just two of their first 17 league games of the season

West Bromwich Albion produced a superb second-half comeback to beat Sunderland and climb out of the Championship relegation zone.

Sunderland dominated the first half, deservedly going 1-0 up through Amad Diallo's 19th-minute penalty.

But the Baggies hit back when Tom Rogic curled a leveller with the outside of his boot in the 70th minute.

Fellow substitute Daryl Dike completed the turnaround to give West Brom a fourth win in a row, when he headed home Jed Wallace's right-wing cross.

It was both injury-hit Dike and Rogic's first goals for the visitors, denying Sunderland the chance to move up to seventh and to within one point of the play-offs.

Corberan's Baggies bouncing back

Such is the tightness of this season's Championship, West Brom are now just eight points off the top six with a game in hand.

They had started the day in 22nd, one point off safety.

Carlos Corberan's Baggies are a different outfit to the side that won just two of their first 17 matches. The Spaniard lost his first game in charge against Sheffield United at the end of October, but they have now beaten Blackpool, QPR, Stoke and the Black Cats.

West Brom lacked a clinical edge in front of goal in the first half, but they were much-improved in the second when Matt Phillips and Rogic forced fine stops from Sunderland keeper Anthony Patterson.

Australian Rogic levelled things up with 20 minutes remaining, scoring his first goal in English football since leaving Celtic last summer.

Dike, playing in just his third match of the season having picked up a thigh injury after the opening game, then sealed all three points as he met Wallace's superb dipping near-post cross from far out on the right touchline.

Carlos Corberan guided Huddersfield Town to last season's Championship play-off final

A tale of two penalty shouts for Sunderland

Defeat continued Sunderland's inconsistent form with a small number of supporters booing at the full-time whistle at a cold and wintry Stadium of Light.

Manchester United loanee Diallo was again a bright spark for the hosts scoring a fifth goal in seven matches from the spot, having been brought down by a clumsy Conor Townsend challenge.

Diallo may have been awarded another penalty shortly before Dike's winner when he went over in the box for a second time, only for referee James Linington to wave play on.

Once Tony Mowbray's side fell behind, his team were unable to fashion another clear-cut effort against his former club.

Sunderland and West Brom are both in action again on Saturday.

The Black Cats are away to Hull City and the Baggies are due to host Rotherham.

'We were suffering but we stuck together'

Sunderland head coach Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Newcastle:

"A frustrating night for us. We need to address the scenario where we have to protect a lead. We didn't help ourselves, we sat too deep and invited pressure on.

"This team, at this stadium, we need to play on the front foot.

"West Brom have got some very good players for this league and we gave them too much time on the ball. Ultimately it's frustrating for us.

"We're so close to being good and then this knocks you back a bit. There will be good days around the corner. We have to learn from these sorts of days."

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan told BBC Radio WM:

"Sunderland were the better team in the first 15 minutes but, from that moment, we balanced and then in the second half we were the better team.

"We have a good group of players to win the game. After our first goal I thought we could go for the game and the mentality from the players was great.

"We achieved the result we wanted to achieve.

"We were suffering but we stuck together and we won together. That's the mentality that has helped us win the last four games."