Andy Reid chose the perfect moment to open his Sunderland account with an injury-time winner which fired Sunderland to within touching distance of Premier League safety. The Irishman struck in the sixth minute of injury time as the Black Cats finally made the pressure tell with the game seemingly heading for a draw.
Kenwyne Jones had earlier ended his personal goal drought with a 28th-minute equaliser, his first goal in 11 games, to cancel out Freddie Ljungberg's deflected opener. But it was Reid who claimed the headlines when he volleyed home in time added on for injuries to John Pantsil and Ljungberg as the visitors finished the game with 10 men having used all their substitutes.
Daryl Murphy in particular will have been delighted to see his compatriot's shot hit the back of the net after passing up a golden opportunity to win it nine minutes from time. But manager Roy Keane and the bulk of a crowd of 45,690 headed home knowing the road to survival is nearing its end with the prospect of another season of Premier League football within their grasp.
Keane was stunned to discover in the run-up to the game that his side had not won consecutive Barclays Premier League fixtures since they defeated Everton and Blackburn in December 2001, a situation he was desperate to address at the earliest opportunity. The Black Cats' surprise 1-0 win at Aston Villa last week meant injury-hit West Ham's trip to the Stadium of Light handed them the chance to put that right this afternoon, although the visitors were not prepared to stick to the script.
They might have taken the lead with just 10 minutes gone when former Newcastle skipper Scott Parker turned up on the left edge of the penalty area to square the ball to Dean Ashton. The striker needed no second invitation as he deftly side-footed the ball past Craig Gordon, only to see it come back off the upright. Sunderland's respite, however, was only temporary, and they fell behind eight minutes later, largely as a result of their inability to clear their lines.
Carlton Cole made the most of hesitation in the Wearsiders' defence to lay the ball off for Ljungberg, whose firm shot struck Nyron Nosworthy on its way into the bottom corner. But Keane's men responded swiftly and having previously wasted a series of good openings with poor final balls, they eventually made the pressure tell. Kieran Richardson found space on the left to drill a low cross in towards the near post, where Murphy flicked on for Jones to score from point-blank range.
The Hammers could not believe an offside flag did not put a stop to the Trinidad and Tobago international's celebrations, but replays showed the officials got a close call just about right. Michael Chopra and Reid both tested Robert Green as Sunderland took control, but it was Gordon who had to pull off a vital fingertip save eight minutes before the break to keep out Cole's curling effort. Danny Collins headed a 43rd-minute Reid cross wide, but the home side were grateful for referee Andre Marriner's lenience on the stroke of half-time when Parker went down under Nosworthy's challenge inside the box and the official waved play on.
Sunderland, and Murphy in particular, emerged for the second half in determined fashion with the Irishman forcing a smart save from Green seconds before defender Jonathan Spector hurriedly hacked his cross away at the near post. Lucas Neill, who had moved to left-back to accommodate the arrival of half-time substitute Pantsil on the right, was in the right place at the right time when he hacked Collins' 54th-minute header off the line. Chopra only just failed to make a telling contact with Murphy's cross as he dived to meet it on the hour, and Alan Curbishley made a further change when he sent on former Newcastle midfielder Nolberto Solano for Cole to a predictably hostile welcome.
Keane made a double change with 19 minutes remaining when he replaced Richardson and Chopra with Carlos Edwards and Grant Leadbitter, but it was Murphy who should have won it 10 minutes later. Jones muscled his way into the penalty area to cross for his strike partner 10 yards out, but he fired high over as the Hammers escaped.
Ljungberg's afternoon ended in agony when he was stretchered off with a hamstring injury which left his side to play out the closing stages with 10 men. But then substitute Edwards' 88th-minute cross flew across goal, where fellow replacement James Tomkins got a crucial touch to deny Jones a winner. However, there was nothing Tomkins or anyone else could do to deny Reid when he raced on to Anton Ferdinand's header and blasted a shot past Green.
