Jack Clarke struck in the 90th minute as Ipswich Town secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Sunderland in their Premier League return on Saturday.
Sunderland started brightly and nearly took the lead inside the opening four minutes, but Ipswich defender Leif Davis produced an important block to deny Brian Brobbey.
Ipswich gradually grew into the contest and went ahead after the midway point of the first half.
Emersonn marked his debut with a close-range finish after Julio Enciso’s unselfish pass created the opportunity.
Sunderland responded with increased pressure and came close to an immediate equaliser, but Ipswich goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen denied Noah Sadiki’s header.
The visitors eventually drew level in the 39th minute when Nilson Angulo produced a superb 25-yard free-kick, giving Scherpen no chance and scoring his first goal for Sunderland.
Both sides created promising openings after the break, with Ipswich debutant Daizen Maeda and Enciso missing chances to restore the hosts’ advantage.
The game then became increasingly scrappy, with neither side able to find a decisive breakthrough as the clock ticked towards full time.
However, Clarke provided the late drama in the 90th minute.
The former Sunderland player collected a pass from Saša Lukić before calmly firing past Robin Roefs to seal all three points for Ipswich.
The victory gave Ipswich a winning start to their Premier League campaign and prevented them from suffering a 10th consecutive home defeat in the English top flight.
For Sunderland, the defeat ended their hopes of winning three successive Premier League matches for the first time since 2014.
