Sunderland ended a run of three successive Championship defeats with a deserved 3-1 victory over Norwich, who are now winless in their last five games.
Hwang Ui-jo gave Norwich the lead against the run of play just after the midway stage of the first half, but Sunderland hit back with goals from Trai Hume and Dan Neil before the break and the league’s top scorer Jack Clarke secured the victory from the spot with his ninth goal of the season 10 minutes from time.
The victory lifted Sunderland to seventh in the Championship, but Norwich’s tumble continues. David Wagner’s side have now won just one of their last eight games and are down to 17th.
Sunderland dominated from the off and took the game to the Canaries, who have the joint worst defensive record in the Championship.
The Black Cats were bright from the off, bossed the early stages and came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock just before the midway stage of the first half when Clarke’s deflected strike hit the post.
But against the run of play it was Norwich who got their noses in front in controversial fashion. Sunderland expected the assistant to raise his flag when a pass was aimed in the direction of Gabriel Sara, who was clearly offside, but the forward let the ball run to overlapping right-back Kellen Fisher. He cut it back for Hwang to finish clinically into the far corner.
The goal did not knock Sunderland out of their stride and the hosts came roaring back. The deserved equaliser came eight minutes before the break, when Hume’s first-time effort from the edge of the box flashed through a sea of bodies and deflected off Shane Duffy into the far corner.
Sunderland took the lead in the final minute of the first half. The brilliant Clarke weaved through three Norwich defenders on the left before picking out Neil in the box, who calmly lifted the ball over George Long.
Mowbray’s side looked comfortable in the early stages of the second half but Norwich fired a warning just before the hour mark when Christian Fassnacht met a Dimitris Giannoulis cross from the left and headed against the post.
The Canaries had their moments in the second half but the game’s star man Clarke wrapped up the points for Sunderland when he won and scored a penalty on 80 minutes. The winger was tripped by Kenny McLean inside the box and picked himself up to send Long the wrong way.
