Eliezer Mayenda scored an 88th-minute winner to give Sunderland a crucial advantage over Coventry City after the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final.

The Spaniard, who turned 20 on Thursday, capitalised on a poor backpass by Sky Blues right-back Milan van Ewijk to round goalkeeper Ben Wilson and settle the game.

It was the decisive moment from an encounter that came to life in the final quarter as the sides shared goals less than two minutes apart.

The visitors had taken the lead for the first time when French striker Wilson Isidor ended a three-month wait for a goal, firing a low effort through Wilson.

But the Sky Blues’ response was almost instant – 110 seconds to be exact – as in-form midfielder Jack Rudoni headed in his seventh goal in his past 11 games from Van Ewijk’s cross to bring his side level.

It was a first win for Sunderland in eight games after their wretched finish to the regular season, but everything is still to be decided in the second leg at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday (20:00 BST).

The winners of the tie will play either Sheffield United or Bristol City at Wembley on 24 May, with the Blades holding a 3-0 advantage after the first leg.

The pairing of these two clubs with a potential top-flight place at stake stirred up history which was in the Sky Blues’ favour.

In 1977, Coventry and relegation rivals Bristol City were able to play out a 2-2 draw at Highfield Road knowing a point would be enough to relegate the Black Cats after their game had finished a few minutes earlier in a defeat at Everton.

Such was Sunderland’s unhappiness about how events had played out that they officially complained to the Football League, but with no joy.

Then 20 years after that, the Black Cats lost again on the final day – this time at Wimbledon – to allow the West Midlands club to leapfrog them to Premier League safety with a win at Tottenham Hotspur as Peter Reid’s Sunderland went down.