Black Cats save best ’till last

SUNDERLAND saved the best for last as they won a Barclays Premiership game on their own ground for the first time this season – at the final attempt.

After 28 top-flight matches dating back to December 15, 2002, goals from Anthony le Tallec and Chris Brown either side of half-time saw the Black Cats fend off another unwanted record.

No English side had ever gone a full season without winning a league game on their own pitch, and while the Wearsiders cannot avoid setting a new low points total with a final day trip to Aston Villa to come, the win at least gave the home fans among a crowd of 28,226 something to cheer.