A frantic start at the Stadium of Light saw plenty of early action, as Chemsdine Talbi was thwarted inside 60 seconds, opening the door for Bournemouth to take the lead.
Just seven minutes had passed when Antoine Semenyo’s cross found Evanilson, whose initial attempt was helped onto the post before Amine Adli reacted quickest to side-foot home his first PL goal.
Sunderland had given a good account of themselves in the opening 15 minutes, but to their dismay, found themselves two goals down thanks to a spectacular strike from Tyler Adams. The American international claimed a loose ball in midfield, and with options available, chose to go for goal from inside the centre circle, where he produced a magnificent effort to lob a backtracking Robin Roefs.
Undeterred, the Black Cats found a way back into the contest on the half-hour mark when Reinildo Mandava was bundled over in the box by Alex Scott, handing Enzo Le Fée the opportunity to halve the deficit from the spot, which he did with an unstoppable strike.
An engaging contest continued after the restart as Sunderland wasted no time, equalising in the 46th minute thanks to a disguised ball from Granit Xhaka that gave Bertrand Traoré the space to bury a low shot in at the near post for his first Sunderland goal.
The Cherries momentarily thought they’d immediately restored their advantage, but Evanilson had strayed offside when poking in Semenyo’s deflected low cross on the goalline.
There were chances aplenty for both sides throughout, and a breathless contest showed few signs of settling down as Sunderland edged ahead from a corner, as substitute Brobbey nodded in Le Fée’s corner in the 69th minute.
Andoni Iraola turned to his bench for inspiration, but ultimately, there were no twists as the hosts did enough to hold on for all three points. Tempers flared at the death, and Lewis Cook was sent off for an elbow, compounding the Cherries’ misery as the home side sealed all three points.
A sensational comeback ends Sunderland’s three-game winless streak (D2, L1), lifting Régis Le Bris’ side back into the top four to defy pre-season expectations.
As for Bournemouth, they have now lost five of their last eight PL trips (W1, D2), suffering a third consecutive top-flight away loss for the first time in two years. Just one win in six (D2, L3) sees Iraola’s fast starters drop to ninth.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Enzo Le Fée (Sunderland)