Sunderland difference was in both boxes – West Brom's Carlos Corberan

Black Cats centre-back Dennis Cirkin scored twice as Tony Mowbray's visitors overcame the Baggies, who were beaten at home for the first time in almost six months and 14 games.

John Swift's penalty on the stroke of half-time had Albion ahead but the visitors looked the more bright and dangerous.

In the end Sunderland made the most of their moments in front of goal to leave their hosts down in nine, albeit still just two points adrift and a game in hand with three to go.

Corberan felt the difference came in both boxes. He said: "I think that in general the starting of our game was very good, and the last ten minutes of the first half was very good too. From minute 15-35 they controlled the game better. We arrived at half time winning the game. In the second half, for me, we competed much better than them and we finished the game by losing it.

"In football, what happens in the box makes the difference. The game today has been won by the team that were more clinical in the box.

"Not because of our different ideas, or styles – they are a team who are very comfortable with the ball, they have short players but in football you play with your feet and they're comfortable.

"We have different styles, but I thought we created more chances. We couldn't finish better. We had chances in the second half, before they scored their first goal, which was key – we had three or four opportunities to score, we didn't and after they scored.

"I didn't see my team give up, I saw them going for more."

Corberan was finally able to call on Okay Yokuslu after four games out the side with an ankle injury but the midfielder looked jaded in spells.

The head coach resisted changes until the 83rd minute. He eventually turned to Marc Albrighton, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Tom Rogic, Kyle Bartley and youngster Mo Faal – but three of those only entered in stoppage time.

"The team was well in the game," Corberan explained on the timing of his changes. "Sometimes when you make a change, first of all you need to see that a player isn't giving their level – everyone today was – and sometimes when you make a change, for players from the bench in a game like this it can be difficult to adapt.

"There are times when you want to refresh the team and it is different.

"When you have a game like this one, it's very specific because we needed to press a lot, the demands of the game can be covered better by the players on the pitch than the players who were on the bench. This is what I was watching."