Late heartbreak can't hide Cats’ exciting progress
throughout. But even if there looked to be a foul on Anthony Patterson in the build up to it, Wycombe's second, no one couldsayitwasagainsttherun of play.
Sunderland looked to be drifting, but a goal of peak POMO levelled the scores at the break and afterwards Johnson's side were simply superb.
Alex Pritchard almost produced a hat-trick of assists in the first ten minutes, denied only by a strong David Stockdalesaveandtwoloosetouches from team-mates.
Thatsetthetoneforahalfin which the Black Cats regularly opened up the opposition defence, Ross Stewart relentless and supported well by those behind him.
The disappointment of Jacobson's late goal was acute, particularlybecauseitwasone thatJohnsonfeltlessonsofthe past should have prevented.
He was relatively sanguine with the corner itself, something which can happen in the dying embers when bodies are thrown forward. What frustrated him in particular were the moments before the set play, when his side failed to get anextrabodyintheirdefensive line to help snuff out the growing danger.
For large swathes of the second half the home side were hanging on, Ainsworth conceding the Black Cats 'had much the better of it'.
Good goalkeeping, the woodwork and some slightly errant finishing denied Johnson's side what would have beensomethingofastatement win. After all, there had been some doubt as to whether this game would go ahead in the first place.
Withbothseniorgoalkeepers out with Covid-19 and cases mounting elsewhere in the squad, there was more than adequate grounds to request a postponement.
Rightly, Sunderland decided to recall three of their loanees and get the game on.
Itwasanodtothetravelling support who had in many cases already begun a challenging journey due to the broadcasting arrangements, and also a strong show of trust in the young talent just outside the core starting XI.
After all, the feeling behind the scenes is that there is very little between the club's three goalkeepers to begin with, and an excellent early reflex save from Patterson underlined that. Jack Diamond, meanwhile, came off the bench to goodeffect,drivingatthetiring Wycombedefenceandmaking good decisions in possession.
That was more evidence of a club unmistakably trending upwards. The list of absentees due to injuries and Covid ran comfortably into the double figures,butSunderlandnevertheless would have been good value for the win.
Had they done so, then it may well have been advantage BlackCatsonthedaythatanFA
Cup win added yet another fixturetoWiganAthletic'salready daunting schedule.
As it is Leam Richardson's side remain well placed, and forWycombe,thelategoalkept their own top-two aspirations firmly alive.
Sunderland still track at two points-per-game, though, their unbeaten run extended and their forward play only growing stronger.
The future is looking increasingly bright. As for that promotion tilt? Well, they're right in it. And there is something to be said for that, particularly when this was a day that started with some doubt as to whether there would be XI players available in the first place.