SO much for running out of steam then.
Sunderland’s hopes of securing automatic promotion might continue to hang by a thread, but the Black Cats silenced any talk of them lacking motivation as they followed up last weekend’s win over Millwall with another 1-0 victory at the Hawthorns.
Trai Hume was their match-winner for the second game running, with the full-back whipping a direct free-kick past West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith towards the end of the first half.
The Black Cats mounted a superb rearguard action as the Baggies pushed for an equaliser throughout the second half, with both Chris Mepham and Luke O’Nien performing superbly at the heart of the back four.
With Enzo Le Fee and Leo Hjelde restricted to bench duty as they returned from injury, Regis Le Bris stuck with the same side that had started last weekend’s win over Millwall.
That meant Alan Browne remaining at right-back, but whereas the repositioned midfielder had a largely trouble-free afternoon against Millwall seven days earlier, he found himself facing a much tougher test up against lively Albion winger Mikey Johnston.
Nearly all of West Brom’s best first-half moves came down their left-hand side, with Johnston combining with Karlan Grant to cause Browne and the rest of the Sunderland defence a series of problem.
The Baggies pair combined effectively in the 13th minute, with Grant breaking away down the left-hand side. His cross took a hefty deflection off a defender, but Anthony Patterson could only punch the ball to a loitering Grady Diangana. His shot was on target, but Mepham was able to hack clear from just in front of the goalline.
Sunderland struggled to get onto the ball in the early stages, but courtesy of a Jobe Bellingham-led counter-attack, they fashioned their first opportunity of the game at the midway point of the first half.
Chris Rigg teed up Romaine Mundle, but from 20 yards out, the winger curled a low shot just wide of the right-hand post.
That was one of Mundle’s final actions as he became the latest player to fall foul on Sunderland’s injury jinx when he was forced off with what appeared to be a muscular issue. Tellingly, Tommy Watson did not come on as a like-for-like replacement in the wake of this week’s announcement of his impending move to Brighton, with Le Bris instead introducing Mayenda.
It proved an inspired move as within a couple of minutes of his introduction, Mayenda was winning the free-kick that led to Sunderland’s opener.
The substitute was fouled just outside the left-hand corner of the 18-yard box, enabling Hume to step up to curl a direct effort past Wildsmith and into the net.
It was an extremely clean hit from the full-back, who was making it two goals in two games after last weekend’s winner over Millwall, but Wildsmith should have done much better given that the ball flew straight past him.
The goal was somewhat against the run of play, but West Brom passed up an excellent chance to equalise just before the break when an unmarked Jayson Molumby headed wide from the edge of the six-yard box.
The Baggies remained on the front foot in the early stages of the second half, but Sunderland’s defenders remained resolute, throwing their bodies in the way of a series of shots from outside the 18-yard box.
Mepham was especially impressive, and he did superbly to stick out a leg and block a goal-bound effort from Darnell Furlong with 13 minutes remaining.
Patterson clawed away Kyle Bartley’s angled header as West Brom continued to push for a leveller, but Sunderland’s defence successfully held out to claim a second successive clean sheet.
