Sunderland moved into the Coca-Cola Championship's automatic promotion places after substitute Ross Wallace curled home a second-half free-kick to dent Cardiff's play-off hopes at Ninian Park.

Wallace, a 57th-minute replacement for Tobias Hysen, took just quarter-of-an hour to make the game's decisive contribution after Stephen McPhail had fouled Grant Leadbitter on the right-hand corner of the area.

Neil Alexander will feel he should have done better than palm Wallace's shot into the bottom corner but the City goalkeeper appeared to be caught off guard as he lined up his defensive wall.

Sunderland's elevation to second place in the table has arrived on the back of a 14-game unbeaten run since the home defeat to Preston on December 30, and is the latest chapter in the impressive turnaround since Roy Keane's arrival at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats were second from bottom with just one win from their opening five matches when Keane was appointed at the end of August, but now they are genuine title contenders.

Keane's men could be pushed back into the play-off places when Birmingham host midlands rivals Coventry on Sunday but their fans must still be pinching themselves when you consider the club's predicament seven months ago.

Sunderland had most of the play but Cardiff created the better chances in the first half.

Dave Jones' side went close to opening the scoring two times in as many minutes midway through the first half in the game's first real goalmouth action.

Steve Thompson headed narrowly wide from 10 yards out after Peter Whittingham's left-wing cross before a neat one-two between Whittingham and Joe Ledley forced Black Cats keeper Darren Ward to help Ledley's rising shot over the crossbar.

Despite their dominance Sunderland had shown little in front of goal to suggest they were capable of scoring the goals that would see them finish the day in the automatic promotion places.

Two tamely-struck long-range efforts from Daryl Murphy were all they could muster before they finally came close to providing an end product to match their fluent approach play.

Danny Simpson and Leadbitter combined to devastating effect down the right flank before the latter whipped a dangerous ball across the face of Alexander's goal.

Hysen got on the end of it at the far post but his volley into the ground from 10 yards bounced unusually high and somehow cleared the crossbar.

Cardiff's football improved in the second period as they started brightly and penned Sunderland inside their own half with a sustained period of pressure.

They were almost rewarded when the ball broke to Paul Parry on the right-hand side of the area but his low shot through a crowded penalty box eluded everyone before flashing past the far post.

The wind subsided but a torrential downpour of rain seemed to wash away Cardiff's early second-half promise.

Sunderland regained a foothold in the game and Jonny Evans sent two warning shots across the Bluebirds' bow before Wallace sank City.

Fellow substitute Stern John came close to adding a second goal but the Trinidad and Tobago international could not stretch enough to get on the end of David Connolly's low cross.

It is only the third time this season that Cardiff have lost at home - Sunderland repeating the 1-0 victories enjoyed by QPR and Southend at Ninian Park.

Teams:

Cardiff Alexander, Gunter, Johnson, McNaughton, Ledley,Parry (Feeney 74), McPhail, Scimeca (Walton 46), Whittingham,Thompson, Chopra (Byrne 86).

Subs Not Used: Forde, Blake.

Booked: Whittingham, McPhail, Walton.

Sunderland Ward, Collins, Evans, Nosworthy, Simpson,Hysen (Wallace 57), Whitehead, Leadbitter (Stokes 73),Liam Miller, Murphy (John 72), Connolly.

Subs Not Used: Fulop, Tommy Miller.

Booked: Evans.

Goals: Wallace 72.

Att: 19,353

Ref: A D'Urso (Essex).