Sunderland 4-4 Hull City: Last-gasp penalty rescues Tigers in Championship epic
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Ozan Tufan secured a third successive draw for Hull City in dramatic style by converting a penalty with the last kick of the game in a 4-4 draw at Sunderland
Ozan Tufan's last-gasp penalty earned Hull City a point and dented Sunderland's Championship play-off ambitions as the sides shared an epic 4-4 draw at the Stadium of Light.
In a thriller between two teams who had drawn each of their previous three encounters with one another, Jack Clarke set up two of Sunderland's goals and looked to have struck a composed 81st-minute winner to keep the Black Cats' hopes of extending their season alive.
After Pierre Ekwah caught Hull's Regan Slater inside the penalty area deep into second-half stoppage time, Tufan courageously stepped up to score with the last kick of a game that will go down as one of the Championship's most memorable.
Hull's hopes of ending their six-match winless away run came to life when they twice took the lead, scoring the opener in slick style when Tufan finished a flowing passage of play to give Leroy Rosenior's side an early advantage.
Slater, who had set up Tufan's opener, should have put City two ahead when he blasted a glorious chance straight at Anthony Patterson, and the midfielder was swiftly punished when Joe Gelhardt swept in an equaliser from Sunderland's subsequent attack.
Sunderland's persistent press paid off once more when they again won possession in a dangerous area a minute later, allowing Clarke to tee up Amad Diallo inside the penalty area to make it 2-1.
The rapid flurry of goals continued as Hull struck back through Allahyar Sayyadmanesh's ruthless finish, crashing a first-time shot in off the crossbar from the rebound when Patterson's brave save from Dimitrios Pelkas' effort fell to him at a tricky angle.
Midfielder Slater atoned for his first-half wastefulness by holding off Trai Hume, narrowly keeping the ball in play on the byline and cutting inside to restore City's lead with a fierce strike as the scoring resumed 21 minutes after the break.
Just when Hull looked on course for a first win in eight editions of the fixture in the league, Sunderland won a penalty when Clarke was bundled to the ground by Alfie Jones.
Diallo converted via goalkeeper Karl Darlow's fingertips, claiming his 11th goal of the season to move level with Charlton pair Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Miles Leaburn as the leading marksman aged under 21 in the English Football League.
Winger Clarke showed comparable composure to complete an incisive move with nine minutes of regular time remaining in front of an enthralled home crowd.
Sunderland would have scored a fifth but for Clarke swiping wildly when he was set up by Diallo, only for Tufan to score his second and send Hull level on points with 16th-placed Birmingham City, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Their part in a classic left Sunderland six points adrift of Blackburn Rovers, who occupy the final play-off place, and have a nine-goal inferiority to Tony Mowbray's team.
Hull boss Liam Rosenior told BBC Radio Humberside:
"I'm lost for words. The first 20-to-25 minutes was everything I want to see in a team of mine. Then we get so complacent and confident that we gift them two goals out of absolutely nothing. We showed persistence and resilience to get back in the game and went 3-2 up through an unbelievable goal from Regan.
"This game probably sums up our season - it was nowhere near a [Sunderland] penalty. Then we go back on the front foot, give a cheap pass away and, three passes later from a throw-in, it's in our goal and we're chasing the game.
"That's one of the most enjoyable games I've been a part of. Tony showed so much class - just before we took the penalty, he said 'you don't deserve to lose the game.' Hopefully we enjoy ourselves with three points in the bag in future."
Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Newcastle:
"It was a slow start from a few of the players. We had words at half-time to liven up and we were much better in the second half, when I can't really remember them getting near our goal.
"We are learning at the coalface as we go along. That's a harsh lesson today - for example, for Pierre to make a tackle in the box right at the death. Just stand up and make the guy do something, don't put a lazy leg out.
"We're playing against teams with much more experience in the league. For 20 minutes we looked like we'd never played together, but once we got it together it was a good performance. There is lots to be pleased about and work on."