Sunderland edged out local rivals Middlesbrough after extra time at the Riverside Stadium to advance to the fifth round of the 2012 FA Cup. It was a closely fought match, although Martin O'Neill's side would have felt pretty comfortable after taking the lead via a sumptuous strike from the left boot of Jack Colback that fizzed its way off the bottom of Jason Steele's bar and in just before halftime.
Middlesbrough Vs. Sunderland, 2012 FA Cup Replay: Sunderland Edge Nervy Game
The hosts made a reply after the break, with Lukas Jutkiewicz scoring his first Boro goal as he made the most of Michael Turner's mistake to fire past Simon Mignolet, and although the Black Cats managed to hit the post via Phil Bardsley later in the half, testing Steele several more times on top of that, they were unable to prevent their Championship opponents taking the match to extra time.
It was Middlesbrough who had the first real chance to break the deadlock in extras, with Marvin Emnes drawing John O'Shea into a desperate block, but the home side would have their hearts broken when Stephane Sessegnon drove a loose ball thought a tangle of legs and into the back of the net in the 113th minute. Sunderland would see out the remainder of the match relatively comfortably, advancing to the fifth round with a 2-1 win. Arsenal await.
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