Kevin Phillips grabbed a priceless second-half double to extend Sunderland's unbeaten home run in the FA
     Carling Premiership. 

     The England marksman struck from the penalty spot on the hour after Dion Dublin had
     given Aston Villa a deserved lead, and he won it with a header eight minutes from time
     to send his side into third place in the table. 

     Villa had more than matched their hosts for most of the game, but their resistance was
     finally broken as the Wearsiders stepped up a gear when it mattered. 

     Phillips now leads the Premiership scoring stakes with 12 goals, two ahead of
     international colleague Alan Shearer, and is making a nonsense of predictions that he
     would find goals hard to come by in his first season in the top flight. 

     But if it was the former Watford striker who grabbed the headlines, it was the non-stop Stefan Schwarz who
     again impressed in midfield as charged from box to box throughout. 

     As expected, Sunderland were back to full strength after Peter Reid rested six of his key players for the
     Worthington Cup defeat at Wimbledon. 

     Phillips and Niall Quinn resumed their prolific partnership up front while veteran defender Steve Bould was
     back at the heart of the Wearsiders' rearguard. 

     Schwarz and Gavin McCann returned in midfield, and keeper Thomas Sorensen shook off a groin strain to
     replace Andy Marriott. Villa keeper David James was handed a return to first-team action after an absence of
     more than a month, while England defender Gareth Southgate came in for Ugo Ehiogu and Darius Vassell
     replaced Julian Joachim. 

     John Gregory's decision to employed Gareth Barry as a left full-back to keep an eye on winger Nicky
     Summerbee proved a wise one in an opening flurry in which the home side forced three corners. 

     A superb Mark Delaney tackle and a brave block by Colin Calderwood ensured that Villa rode out the early
     storm and, with Vassell's pace causing problems for Sunderland, it soon became apparent that the crowd
     was in for an end-to-end game. 

     It was James who was called upon to make the first save after Calderwood miscontrolled a poor back-pass,
     but Quinn's 45-yard effort did not trouble the keeper unduly. 

     Indeed, it was the Midlands side who had the better chances as the half unfolded, and Vassell was guilty of
     over-elaborating as he left Michael Gray in his wake and tried to round Sorensen when perhaps he should
     have gone for goal immediately. 

     Vassell set the alarm bells ringing again with 17 minutes gone when he latched on to James' huge throw, but
     although Delaney and Ian Taylor got forward well in support, they could not manufacture a cross. 

     Villa thought they had won a penalty seven minutes late when Vassell was brought down by Chris Makin, but
     referee David Elleray awarded a free-kick a foot outside the penalty area and Alan Thompson's delivery did not
     match his usual high standards. 

     Bould had to clear off the line 11 minutes before the break when Thompson crossed towards the far post, and
     Makin was on hand to mop up after Delaney and Vassell combined to allow Lee Hendrie to drive in a low ball
     from the right. 

     Villa left the pitch at half-time justifiably pleased with their opening 45 minutes' work, while Sunderland knew
     they would have to up the tempo if they were to break through a well-organised defence. 

     It took the visitors just 75 seconds of the second half to make the pressure tell after Bould was penalised for a
     foul on Vassell. 

     Thompson curled his free-kick in to the near post and Dublin rose to power a downward header past
     Sorensen and into the bottom corner. 

     Vassell could have made it two with 50 minutes gone when Dublin blocked Paul Butler's clearance and the
     ball ran to the striker, but although he wormed his way into the box, Schwarz arrived to clear the danger before
     he could shoot. 

     The striker limped off with a hamstring injury three minutes later to be replaced by Paul Merson, but his side's
     lead evaporated on the hour. 

     Butler's deep cross gave Quinn a chance to make his presence felt inside the penalty area, and Delaney was
     adjudged to have handled as he tried to prevent the Irishman getting in a shot. 

     Referee David Elleray pointed straight to the spot and Phillips did what he does best from 12 yards to collect
     his 11th Premiership goal. 

     It was just the tonic the home side needed and, urged on by the tireless Schwarz, they piled forward in
     numbers in the search for a winner. 

                     It was Dublin doing the defending on 78 minutes as Quinn linked with Phillips with the
                     home crowd sensing that there was more to come from their side. 

                     Sunderland saved their best move of the game until 10 minutes from time when
                     substitute Eric Roy and McCann put Phillips away on the left and when Quinn headed
                     down his cross, Summerbee volleyed over with Southgate getting in a vital challenge. 

                     Summerbee left the pitch seconds later as 19-year-old striker Michael Reddy was
                     handed a Premiership debut. 

     But it was the relatively old head of Phillips which proved the key weapon eight minutes from time as he rose
     unopposed to head Schwarz's cross past the stranded James from close range to put his side ahead for the
     first time in the game. 

     Reddy almost produced a fairytale ending when he drove just over a minute from time after good work by
     Quinn, but Sunderland had done enough to ensure another Premiership victory. 

     
     Sunderland: Sorensen, Makin, Bould, Butler, Gray, Summerbee (Reddy, 80), Rae (Roy, 75), McCann (Ball, 83),
     Schwarz, Quinn, Phillips.

     Subs not used: Marriott, Dichio.

     Booked: Schwarz.

     Aston Villa: James, Delaney, Barry, Southgate, Calderwood, Boateng (Stone, 83), Taylor, Hendrie, Thompson,
     Dublin, Vassell (Merson, 55).

     Subs not used: Watson, Wright, Enckelman.

     Booked: Taylor, Delaney, Thompson.

     Attendance: 41,045. 

     Referee: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill). 
Carling Net