Sunderland 0-1 Cardiff City: Late Mark McGuinness winner hands Bluebirds dramatic backs-to-the-wall win on Wearside

Cardiff City continued their impressive recent run of form by snatching a late smash-and-grab win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland were arguably the better side for much of the afternoon, with Jobe Bellingham, Jack Clarke and Alex Pritchard all spurning decent opportunities, but an impressive rear-guard display kept Erol Bulut's men in the contest, and they were rewarded three minutes from time when Mark McGuinness glanced a header home from a corner to seal an unlikely victory.

It is Cardiff's third straight win, and completes a hugely satisfactory week for the Bluebirds, who followed up their recent South Wales derby win over Swansea City with an impressive 3-2 victory over Coventry City in midweek. Cardiff, in truth, offered nowhere near the level of attacking threat seen in either of those two games this time around. Indeed, the 87th-minute goal was their first shot on target all afternoon. But Bulut will nevertheless be pleased with the resilience shown by his troops, who held firm against an admittedly impressive Sunderland outfit.

Bulut made just one change for the trip to the Stadium of Light, with Yakou Meite drafted in for Ollie Tanner. Aaron Ramsey was once again rested for the trip to Wearside, and they perhaps missed his quality in the middle of the park, against a free-flowing Sunderland side going in search of a fourth consecutive win under Tony Mowbray.

Cardiff had previously won three of the last four games here, but were largely under the cosh for much of this encounter. Dan Ballard bounced a header straight into the arms of Jak Alwick following a freekick in an early warning shot for the visitors, who responded with a wayward effort from Karlan Grant.

Sunderland started to move through