Davies the hero despite Souttar red in Blades win
Sheffield United moved up to top spot on the EFL Championship table after a rousing 1-0 win over Sunderland at Bramall Lane, thanks to an unlikely late goal from Tom Davies.
The former Everton star scored his first goal for the Blades, and his first in more than three years after a long run of injury hell, to put the hosts ahead of Leeds United in the standings, and leaving Sunderland in fourth.
Both sides had the chance to go top with a win at the start of the match.
It seemed the Black Cats would do just that for much of the game, and it had the chance to go ahead on the half-hour mark after Tom Watson was fouled in the area, winning the visitors a penalty.
Patrick Roberts stepped up to take it, but Michael Cooper in the Sheffield United goal saved superbly to keep the scores level.
The drama of the first half didn't stop there, with both sides going down to 10 men before the break.
Chris Mepham was the first to see red on 40 minutes when he scythed down Tyrese Campbell on the edge of the box, leaving Sunderland a man short.
Barely five minutes later, Australia centre back Harry Souttar joined him in the sheds when he received a second yellow card for tugging back Wilson Isidor as he looked to make a break from the halfway line.
Both sides traded blows in the second half without creating anything clear cut until in the 83rd minute, when Davies bundled fought his way through the Sunderland defence to slide the ball home for a vital goal that sent the home fans into delirious delight.
Davies's strike was enough to secure the win that put Sheffield United on top with 38 points, three clear of Leeds in second ahead of its trip to Blackburn Rovers.
Sunderland has 33 points, and remains one place below third-placed Burnley, which faces an away day at Stoke City next.
Blades boss Chris Wilder said he "always felt there was a winner" inside his side.
It is an eighth clean sheet in a row at home for United, and Wilder was delighted with how his side dug deep to get the three points.
"The last 20 to 25 minutes, there was only one team that looked like winning in my opinion," Wilder said. "That last 25 minutes were outstanding, and the fitness levels were amazing.
"We needed to control the middle of the park and when we did, I thought we were good. We still made poor decisions. When you make poor decisions, it becomes a basketball game.
"I always felt there was a winner inside us, and I never felt like they were going to score."
Regis Le Bris was left lamenting Sunderland's wasted chances as they missed the chance to go top if it had won.
"My first thought is frustration," he said. "We played the game we wanted to play.
"Obviously, it was against a strong team in a tough place, but we dominated most of the game, and we were good out of possession and efficient.
"We took confidence, and the last point was to score, but we didn't, and my main concern is that one. How can we be so dominant against a strong team only to lose at the end?
"It's really frustrating, but it's a question of luck. We have to work; we have to build up the small details to find a solution."
