Black Cats edge clear

Keane's men secured their third win a row courtesy of a rare goal from Danny Collins and tidy finishes from Michael Chopra and Kenwyne Jones, taking them to 36 points with five games remaining.

David Healy gave the hosts brief hope when he found the top corner but Sunderland held on for the win that should be enough for survival in Keane's first season as a top-flight boss.

Sunderland had the ball in the net after 15 minutes when Andy Reid's free-kick found the head of Collins, but Mark Halsey disallowed the strike for a foul.

Phil Bardsley then came close for the visitors with a fierce drive from the edge of the area which just cleared the crossbar.

Sunderland took the lead in the last minute of the first half when defender Collins headed home from Daryl Murphy's cross, a move which should have been cleared earlier by the hosts.

They grabbed a second goal in the 54th minute when Jones headed on a long clearance and substitute Chopra lobbed Kasey Keller with a controlled volley.

It could have got worse for the home side when Reid found Murphy with a free-kick at the far post, but the Sunderland midfielder headed when he should have shot, with comical results.

Northern Ireland international striker Healy was brought on and he scored with 17 minutes remaining, finding the top corner from 25 yards out.

But home hopes of a point were dashed when Dean Whitehead found Jones unmarked at the far post - and the Trinidad and Tobago international striker controlled the ball before slamming his finish into the bottom corner.