Alan Lee scored twice as Jim Magilton's Blues came from behind to defeat Roy Keane's Sunderland 3-1 at Portman Road. Lee's goals came after the break, Jason De Vos's inexplicable own goal having been equalised by Darren Currie's freekick in the first half.

Town included two players in the 16 who weren't in the 18-man squad named on Friday. Matt Richards came into a midfield without the injured Simon Walton and Sylvain Legwinski, while young midfielder Sammy Moore was named on the bench for the first time.

Lewis Price kept his position in goal, despite last week's error, with Richard Naylor once again alongside Jason De Vos as Alex Bruce was unavailable due to suspension. Sito remained at right-back despite Fabian Wilnis's return from a thigh injury. Gavin Williams was OK to start in central midfield with Mark Noble, while Darren Currie came in for a rare start after an improved performance as a sub against Birmingham.

Mark Noble struck the first shot of the game in the opening minute, but the loanee's effort went over.

The Blues started well but the next opportunity didn't come until the 11th minute when Alan Lee won the ball on the left and sent in a cross which Jon Macken headed over at the near post.

The closest the visitors got to a chance in the early stages was a freekick whipped in from the left which Lewis Price did well to punch away ahead of Dwight Yorke.

On 19 Stanislav Varga picked up the first of the game's many yellow cards for a foul on Gavin Williams. A minute later the Sunderland bench were off their feet and on the pitch after a challenge by Dan Harding on Ross Wallace. Harding had clearly won the ball ahead of the Sunderland player and it was difficult to see quite why they were so incensed.

The game threatened to boil over in the 22nd minute when Chris Brown caught Sito in the face with an elbow. Richard Naylor in particular didn't take kindly to the challenge which appeared to be revenge being exacted for Harding's tackle on Wallace. Naylor pushed Brown in the chest as virtually all the outfield players indulged in a spot of shoving.

Eventually, referee Mick Russell regained some order but only showed Brown a yellow card. Subsequently he called over skippers Jason De Vos and Graham Kavanagh in an attempt to calm things down. However, the Sunderland players had lost it in a style reminiscent of their manager and Brown was booked for an ugly lunge on Sito on the touchline.

The Blues had dominated with Williams and Noble once again running the game, and this may have contributed to the Black Cats' frustrations. However, as often tends to happen in circumstances such as these, it was the Wearsiders who would take the lead.

Wallace sent in a freekick deep to the far post which Lewis Price seemed set to claim until apparently receiving a call from Jason De Vos behind him that there was no danger. But under no pressure at all the Canadian diverted the ball into his own net, perhaps unable to get his foot out of the way in time.

The goal was very much against the run of play and the visitors' lead would last only three minutes. Dean Whitehead received a yellow card for a foul on Mark Noble on the edge of the box and Darren Currie stepped up to curl the ball beyond Ben Alnwick and into the net.

Whitehead probably should have picked up his second yellow card for a foul on Williams only five minutes later but referee Russell somewhat generously kept his cards in his pocket.

Sunderland's first chance to score through their own auspices came two minutes before the break when the Blues were caught short with Harding sucked into the middle as the Black Cats broke. Liam Miller crossed from the right and Jason De Vos — whose earlier own goal seemed to get to him — cleared weakly to Brown, who shot only narrowly wide of Lewis Price's goal.

The Blues were applauded off at the break after a half in which they had enjoyed much the better of it against a very physical Sunderland side. The visitors were lucky that at least one of Brown and Whitehead hadn't already departed for the first use of the Wash n'Go.

Black Cats' boss Roy Keane was evidently unimpressed with his side's first half showing and replaced Brown and Whitehead — perhaps with one eye on their susceptibility to red cards — with Tobias Hysen and Grant Leadbitter.

The visitors had the greater share of possession in the early part of the second half and Dwight Yorke forced Jason De Vos into a foul which saw the Blues' skipper pick up Town's first yellow card of the match.

Matt Richards almost played in Jon Macken on 54 but keeper Alnwick was out quickly ahead of the Town striker. Chances were proving rarer occurrences than yellow cards and Mark Noble was shown the second of his Town career for a foul on Grant Leadbitter. Ross Wallace put the freekick well wide of Price's goal.

Town went ahead in the 64th minute after a throw-in on the right. Currie threw the ball to Williams who returned it for the ex-Brighton man to send in a cross. Matt Richards got a slight touch which meant the defender behind him could only send the ball into the air towards Alan Lee behind him, albeit at an awkward angle. However, the Irishman managed somehow to head the ball back across goal and over Alnwick and into the corner of the net for his second goal of the season.

Richard Naylor blocked Leadbitter's shot from inside the Town area but play quickly moved to the other end as Stanislav Varga — given a torrid time by Lee throughout — missed a header which allowed the Town striker to take the ball into the area, round Alnwick and slide the ball into the net.

The game was all but won and the Blues were generally content to sit back and soak up anything Sunderland threw at them. However, Jason De Vos came close to atoning for his earlier error with a header from a Currie corner which was blocked by a defender. From the resultant corner, Currie sent the ball long and deep to Williams but the Welshman volleyed wide.

Williams picked up his fifth yellow card of the season for the latest in a series of fouls in the 72nd minute and will now miss Town's game at home to West Brom in three weeks' time. A minute later Billy Clarke replaced Macken.

The young Irishman was quickly into the action, latching on to a low cross from Matt Richards, turning his defender but shooting weakly to Alnwick.

With four minutes remaining, Clarke made a pacy run from inside his own half past a number of Sunderland players but was stopped in his tracks by a Ross Wallace bodycheck. Referee Russell had little alternative but to show the Sunderland midfielder his second yellow card followed by a red, completing a miserable afternoon for the Black Cats.

Darren Currie's curled freekick was well saved by Alnwick, Dean Bowditch having replaced Gavin Williams for the final two minutes.

There was still time for one more yellow card, Sito — who was putting in probably his best performance in a Town shirt - somewhat needlessly pulling back Tobias Hysen. In injury time Sammy Moore was introduced for his league debut, taking over from Matt Richards in midfield.

Another excellent performance from the Blues who thoroughly deserved their victory over a disappointing Sunderland side. Town were brighter, sharper and cleverer throughout and prevented the visitors from even one shot on target, Jason De Vos's strange own goal aside.

Sunderland looked nothing like the reported side rejuvenated by Roy Keane taking over as manager, the new boss appearing to have instilled little more than a nasty streak which might well have seen more than one of their players making an early exit.

Jim Magilton's Town are now unbeaten in six league games, winning four of them and have looked a better side than both Birmingham and Sunderland in the last eight days. How long before the Blues start to be tipped as potential promotion contenders?

Town: Price, Sito, Harding, Naylor, De Vos, Noble, Richards (Moore 90), Currie, Williams (Bowditch 88), Lee, Macken (Clarke 73). Unused: Supple, Wilnis. Att: 23,311.

Photo: Action Images

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