Ellis Simms came off the bench to score in second half stoppage-time and earn Sunderland a 2-1 win over Blackburn at the Stadium of Light on Boxing Day.
Ross Stewart had scored a penalty to level the game three minutes after his unfortunate own goal handed Rovers the lead.
Simms, however, replaced Patrick Roberts after 80 minutes and scored what proved to be a dramatic winner with a composed finish from 12 yards out.
The result means Tony Mowbray's men climb to seventh, one point outside the play-off places, with Blackburn unable to close in on second-placed Sheffield United, who lead now them by eight points.
How Sunderland strengthened their top-six bid
Sunderland mounted a spell of sustained pressure after a relatively open start in front of a 43,000-strong crowd on Wearside, but it counted for nothing when Blackburn took the lead very much against the run of play. It was, perhaps, written in the stars, with ex-Rovers boss Mowbray having lost each of his last three league games against sides he'd previously managed.
Tyler Morton's free-kick caused panic in the box, with Stewart's attempted headed clearance hitting Dennis Cirkin, then ricocheting back onto his own head and past Nathan Patterson.
however within three minutes the Black Cats had deservedly pulled level. Stewart used his experience to draw a foul from John Buckley in the box and duly dispatched the resulting penalty into the bottom left corner with the perfect combination of power and placement.
There was a lack of quality in the final third from both sides as the game progressed. Stewart fired straight at Thomas Kaminski in the Blackburn goal when it looked as though it may have been easier to score, while at the other end Patterson produced a sublime stop to push Morton's finessed effort round the post.
Just as it looked as though the points would be shared, Simms received the ball with his back to goal, took one touch with the outside of his right boot to control it and then did the same thing to roll home the winner.
What the managers said...
Sunderland's Tony Mowbray: "I think Everton are just happy Ellis is playing football. It's like Amad and Manchester United, I think Everton are just happy Ellis is here and playing. If you look at what we did at Blackburn, we had Harvey Elliot, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Tosin Adarabioyo, and we helped with their development. I think if clubs send young players on loan, they want to know that they're playing football and improving.
"Amad didn't play a lot of football at Rangers (on loan) last year, but now he's one of our main players. I'll be rotating him in and out as the games come thick and fast, but he's playing and I'm sure Manchester United are happy with that. It's the same with Ellis and Everton. It's like they're going to school really - you have to teach them about football and playing in all different kinds of games."
Blackburn's Jon Dahl Tomasson: "We're disappointed. We can't concede that late. When you have a game that is that close, you have to make sure you get something and bring something back. We didn't do that. We need to learn from those situations - to concede a goal that late in a very close game, it hurts. It was from a free-kick and we should have dealt with it better. We have an inexperienced squad, but we're very disappointed. I don't think it was a brilliant game, but we all know that with a very young squad and a very young side, you can be inconsistent.
"We have to look at the situation. We were not expected to go up or be favourites. We are working hard to try to improve and we want to go in the right direction to be a sustainable club over time. We have had some great wins and enjoyed them and overperformed sometimes, but we have underperformed sometimes too. That is because we are so young. Of course, it hurts. It's very disappointing conceding a goal that late, it shouldn't happen. But we have to be better in those situations."
Player of the match - Ross Stewart
What's next?
Both teams are back in action at 7.45pm on Thursday December 29. Sunderland travel to the DW Stadium to face Wigan, while Blackburn host Middlesbrough at Ewood Park.
Both matches will be available to watch live on Sky Sports Football Red Button - find out how to watch here.