Sunderland 2-1 Charlton Athletic: Addicks suffer devastating late defeat on opening day

Charlton suffered a devastating late defeat on the opening day as Sunderland came from behind at the Stadium of Light.

Lee Bowyer’s depleted side were rocked by the news that Jake Forster-Caskey is set to miss the entire campaign with a serious knee injury before the game, and were only able to name five on the bench.

However the visitors turned in an impressive display, taking an early lead as debutant Lyle Taylor converted a penalty.

Josh Maja levelled up for the relegated hosts, with Lynden Gooch heading home deep into injury-time to seal three points in their first game in the third tier since relegation from the Championship.

The Addicks looked dangerous going forward from the off. Taylor blazed a free-kick over from range, with Grant then seeing another set-piece deflect off the wall and just wide moments later.

But Bowyer’s side would have their lead on nine minutes. A burst of pace had Grant through on goal only for the Addicks youngster to be scythed down by Chris Maguire as he was about to pull the trigger.

Summer signing Taylor stepped up to rifle the spot-kick into the top-corner, despite Jan McLaughlin in the home goal guessing the right way.

The Black Cats tried to regroup but struggled to find their way through a resolute Addicks side in the first-half, and it was the victors who enjoyed the majority of the openings.

Darren Pratley saw an effort palmed wide from range, with Joe Aribo seeing his header drop just wide from the resulting corner.

Making his full league debut, George Lapslie looked lively and had an opportunity himself, side-footing straight at the goalkeeper after Lewis Page’s low-cross fell into his path.

The debutant also floated a delicious centre into the Sunderland six-yard box that just eluded Taylor, who had been flagged offside in any case.

League One new boys Sunderland looked rattled and it took them until the final five minutes of the first-period to find their feet.

Substitute Bryan Oviedo had an ambitious effort from range easily stopped by Dillon Phillips, with Maja then touching wide as a dangerous cross was sent towards the near-post.

Phillips then had to rush off his line to close the angles as a wayward shot fell into Maja’s path, the keeper’s save preserving Charlton’s lead at the interval.

The hosts came out the blocks quickly in the second-half, but other than a dangerous cross that Chris Solly did well to deal with, had little in the way of chances to show for it.

Indeed, Aribo nearly doubled the lead at the other end as his looping header almost caught McLaughlin out.

But the hosts did level the scores just beyond the hour mark. Maja had his back to goal inside the corner of the box, before turning and arrowing a low-drive in at Phillips’ near-post.

Patrick Bauer powered a header wide from Mark Marshall’s corner as the South Londoners looked to react, before Phillips scrambled across his goal superbly to deny Maguire as his free-kick looked to be heading home.

Jerome Sinclair should have ended the hosts in front in the closing stages, but he somehow poked wide from inside the six-yard box after a low-ball found him unmarked.

The Addicks were then dealt another injury blow as Jason Pearce was stretchered off in the final minute, with Naby Sarr on to take his place.

And they were further deflated as the hosts struck their winner with 95 minutes on the clock. Gooch peeled away at the far-post to power a header past Dillon Phillips, who could only get a hand onto it as it nestled in the back of the net.