FOUR days after manager Mick McCarthy switched on Sunderland's Christmas illuminations, the club's new leading light, Stephen Elliott, provided the goalscoring spark that sent the Black Cats back into the top three of the Championship.

The 20-year-old, who made his full international debut for the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday, capped a memorable week by producing the deftest of finishes to help shoot down fellow promotion hopefuls Ipswich.

With the sides deadlocked on the hour mark, Elliott's close-range backheel wrong-footed Ipswich goalkeeper Kelvin Davis as he scrambled to keep out substitute Chris Brown's header from Liam Lawrence's right-wing corner.

The finish was as impudent as it was instinctive, and it underlined the confidence that is currently coursing through a player deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester City this summer.

The Black Cats have been searching for a natural goalscorer since Kevin Phillips left for Southampton last summer but, in Elliott, they finally look to have found someone with a happy knack for finding the back of the net.

The youngster has now grabbed nine goals in his first 20 appearances in a red and white shirt and, while Ipswich started yesterday's game as the Championship's leading scorers, Sunderland finished it with a pair of young strikers with the ability to fire the club back into the top flight.

Elliott has rightly won most of the plaudits this term but, in Brown, McCarthy also possesses another 20-year-old ready to make his mark at this level.

The victory maintained Sunderland's unbeaten home record but, more importantly, it re-affirmed their promotion credentials as they convincingly disposed of an Ipswich side who had gone 11 games unbeaten prior to their trip to Wearside.

A tight first half was followed by an utterly one-sided second period in which Sunderland's slick passing and tigerish tackling proved too much for their surprisingly lacklustre opponents.

Carter was the catalyst for the win, with his energy and enterprise constantly driving the Black Cats forward through the heart of midfield.

Another 20-year-old, Carter has been exiled to the left of midfield since moving from Birmingham in mid-September but, in the absence of the injured Carl Robinson, he seized his chance to show McCarthy what he can do in a central position.

His passing and movement was impressive and, once Liam Lawrence arrived to provide some genuine width after the interval, Ipswich were unable to handle Sunderland's crisp midfield interplay.

The two sides are now separated by just two points and, while there are still six months of the season to go, it is a safe bet that they will be similarly closely-bunched at the top of the table come May.

The Black Cats actually prospered from Ipswich's willingness to play football yesterday and, while they were own worst enemies by giving the ball away before the break, there was only going to be one winner once their passes started going to feet in the second half.

Neither Gary Breen nor Stephen Caldwell was punished for their early slackness - mainly thanks to wayward finishing from teenager Dean Bowditch - but, on another day, such tardiness could have seen Sunderland chasing a game they went on to dominate.

Ipswich's well-drilled defence meant the home side initially struggled to convert that dominance into goals but, with Julio Arca and fit-again George McCartney combining well on the left flank, there was always plenty to admire in Sunderland's passing moves.

One such interchange almost saw McCartney break the deadlock in the 17th minute but, after playing an intricate one-two with Ipswich's player of the century, Marcus Stewart, the full-back could only drill a low shot straight at Davis.

The Ipswich goalkeeper was in the thick of the action again shortly after, acrobatically tipping Carter's powerful half-volley over the crossbar after the midfielder juggled the ball on his chest 25 yards from goal.

Carter continued to be prominent after the break, with Davis thwarting him again in the 56th minute as he tipped his goalbound prod around the post after Arca's intelligent dummy had sent McCartney galloping clear down the left flank.

The Ipswich goalkeeper would also have kept out Brown's header four minutes later, had Elliott not intervened so intelligently from the heart of the six-yard box.

His backheel sent the ball spinning into the left-hand corner, finally breaking the visitors' spirited resistance and heralding half an hour of complete Sunderland dominance.

Substitute Lawrence fired narrowly over the top, before slipping the pass infield to Carter that set up the home side's second.

Carter drove round the outside of full-back Drissa Diallo, and his pinpoint low cross teed up Brown for the first league goal of his Black Cats' career.

Arca's fierce strike almost extended Sunderland's lead, before Michael Bridges went close to ending his marathon goalless streak with a shot that flashed past Davis' right-hand upright