Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet has admitted that he was planning to take off winger Adam Johnson prior to his winning goal against Newcastle United.
The 27-year-old collected Will Buckley's layoff before firing home in the 89th minute to break Magpie hearts and secure the Black Cats a 1-0 Tyne-Wear derby victory at St James' Park.
Poyet told BBC Sport after the game: "Before we scored there was a great save by Costel Pantillimon, and I was thinking to change Adam Johnson. But he really wanted to stay in and scored the goal."
The Black Cats climb to 14th in the Premier League table following the win, which was only their third of the season.
