Substitute Daryl Murphy ensured Sunderland will play in next season's Barclays Premier League with a last-gasp winner against Middlesbrough.

A week after the Black Cats had misfired in a derby match with Newcastle United, Roy Keane claimed the bragging rights and the points which make relegation an impossibility thanks to Murphy's injury-time header in a thrilling encounter at the Stadium of Light.

The match looked to be heading for a draw - which would not have been the worst result for either side - when Boro's record signing Afonso Alves fired home a 73rd-minute equaliser.

The Teessiders had got off to the perfect start when Tuncay Sanli gave them a fourth-minute lead, but Danny Higginbotham equalised within two minutes as a compelling contest which neither side could afford to lose ebbed and flowed in front of 45,059 nervous spectators.

Michael Chopra made it 2-1 in first-half injury time and then passed up another golden opportunity before Alves looked to have snatched a point for the visitors.

While Roy Keane's men left the pitch reflecting on a job well done, the Teessiders still have work to do to ensure they enjoy another season of top flight football.

Boro started well. Alves and Tuncay had already combined once to split the home rearguard, but Keane's men did not heed the warning and when the Brazilian slid his Turkish counterpart through the cover, he fired past Craig Gordon to get Boro off to the perfect start.

Sunderland's response was instant and had it not been for Andrew Taylor's heroic block in front of goal, they would have been back on level terms within seconds.

In the event, it took them just two minutes to restore parity when Higginbotham, who scored against Newcastle at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season, powered a header past Brad Jones from Danny Collins' cross.

Tuncay might have helped himself to a second goal when he met Stewart Downing's 27th-minute cross with a downward header, but his effort flew agonisingly wide of the post with Gordon beaten.

However, Chopra came up with the perfect reply when, in injury time, he ran on to Liam Miller's through-ball, and having skipped past Wheater with the help of a ricochet, and blasted a left-foot shot home off the underside of the bar.

Sunderland were quick to re-establish their momentum after the break and after Chopra had seen an early shot blocked, Kenwyne Jones might have increased their lead within two minutes of the restart.

The £6million man did well to hold off both Wheater and Emanuel Pogatetz, but as the keeper came out to meet him, he could only stub his shot straight at him.

Chopra might have done better when he fired high over after running on to Carlos Edwards' 51st-minute pass.

It was Chopra who went close to his side's third goal with 68 minutes gone when he poked Dean Whitehead's cross towards goal only to see Jones make a fine reaction save.

It was then that Boro started the final push, and had it not been for vital blocks from Whitehead and Gordon, Stewart Downing might have levelled after 73 minutes.

However, the home defence cracked seconds later when Julio Arca's deflected shot ran to Alves, who did not make the cleanest of contacts, but got enough on the ball to slide it past the keeper and just inside the far post.

But with the clock having ticked into five minutes of injury time, Murphy caught Jones all at sea at the near post to glance Grant Leadbitter's corner home for a precious late winner.