Phillips' double puts Sunderland through

But Peter Reid's side had substitute striker Danny Dichio sent off in a white-hot extra time period after Phillips had grabbed his 14th goal of the season to put the Wearsiders in front.

Sunderland had to battle on in the second period with ten men but Palace were unable to prevent their depleted opponents qualifying for a home tie against Ipswich Town.

Sunderland, paying their third visit to the South London ground in 36 days, trailed to a 25th-minute goal from Palace striker Clinton Morrison and the Eagles looked set to repeat their Worthington Cup quarter-final victory.

But Sunderland produced greater determination after the break and hit Palace with two goals in the space of a minute, Niall Quinn scoring with a scorching drive and then Phillips claiming his 13th goal of the season after clever footwork on the edge of the box.

It looked as though Sunderland had done enough to win, but gritty Palace, who'd beaten Liverpool 2-1 in the first leg of their Worthington Cup semi-final a week earlier, snatched a dramatic last-minute equaliser through wing-back Stephen Thomson.

It took a typical piece of finishing from the mercurial Phillips to decide a nail-biting tie, taking advantage of a moment's hesitation by former England defender Neil Ruddock to score a great goal.

And Sunderland coasted home after Kevin Kilbane beat Palace's offside trap to net the fourth.

The kick-off had to be put back 15 minutes because of an accident near the ground and the delay allowed groundstaff more time to remove the covers and warm-air blowers which had protected the pitch against frost, though there were signs of ice in places.

Mikael Forssell, who had scored two goals in Palace's 3-0 victory at Nottingham Forest three days earlier, was prominent in the early Palace forays, but Sunderland came close to breaking through in the sixth minute when a timely tackle by Andrejs Rubins took the ball off the toes of Phillips as he was shaping to shoot from 25 yards after a nrat flick-on by Don Hutchison.

Sunderland had a great chance in the tenth minute when Phillips stroked a lovely pass to Quinn, but he hurried a shot disappointingly wide.

A minute later Sunderland were close to taking the lead when Palace keeper Alex Kolinko, hero of the first game at the Stadium of Light, was forced to leave the penalty area to clear from the feet of Phillips and Alex Rae, spotting an unguarded net, fired his lob from 22 yards high over.

Palace hit back and tested Thomas Sorensen twice in the space of a minute, though neither Morrison nor Thomson managed to get any sting behind their shots.

Palace were denied a goal by Sorensen in the 17th minute when he made a brilliant last-ditch save from Morrison, who looked a certain close-range scorer after Rubins picked him out from the left.

Sunderland looked decidedly uncomfortable under pressure and when Emerson Thome sliced a clearance and Sorensen fumbled the resulting corner-kick Varga had to hammer the ball clear of the danger zone.

Palace looked happier with the hard conditions underfoot and again threatened in the 23rd minute when Thomson centred dangerously from the right and Forssell had a shot blocked.

Palace went ahead in the 25th minute through dangerman Morrison. An attempted back-header from Rae was woefully short of power, travelling straight into the path of Morrison, who raced on before unleashing a terrific right-foot shot from 18 yards which Sorensen got a hand to but could not prevent soaring into the top of the net.

The home side showed greater determination to win the ball in their next advance, which ended with the eager Morrison steering a right-foot shot across the face of goal in the 32nd minute.

Sunderland, however, showed their teeth in the 35th minute when Quinn chested down a left-wing centre from Gray and Phillips hit a first-time 18-yard shot which the keeper held on the line at the second attempt.

Kolinko then made a great double save from Phillips in the 38th minute, blocking his first right-foot effort and then pushing away the follow-up from the little striker.

Palace, however, were still eager to go forward and it took a timely interception by Darren Williams in the 43rd minute to deny Forssell a shooting chance right in front of goal.

Sunderland should have equalised in the second minute of the second half when a centre from Williams was flicked on by Quinn into the path of Phillips, who ran the ball out from ten yards.

Palace hit straight back and a fierce left-foot shot from Forssell struck Thome and flew wide for a corner.

The home side suffered a blow in the 50th minute when their Chinese centre-back Fan Zhiyi appeared to pull a hamstring and limped off to be replaced by Ruddock in the next minute.

Palace were struggling to find their first-half fluency and had to withstand increasing Sunderland pressure as Peter Reid's men looked for an equaliser.

McCann headed wide from a corner and then went close again in the 63rd minute, having a powerful, low, right-foot shot parried by Kolinko, with the offside flag going up against Rae as he drove the rebound wide.

Kolinko was again Palace's saviour in the 65th minute when he turned a fierce right-foot shot from Williams round the post after a defence-splitting back-heeler from Hutchison on the right.

But Sunderland scored twice in the space of a minute to stun Palace.

First Quinn chested the ball down in the 72nd minute to leave Kolinko helpless with a powerful right-foot shot into the top of the net.

And in the next minute Phillips latched on to a long through ball on the edge of the box to beat off a challenge from Mullins and turn to hit a low right-foot shot past the diving Kolinko in off the foot of the post.

Sunderland looked to have the game sealed up, but Palace hit back to snatch an equaliser in the 89th minute, with Thomson forcing a left-foot shot home from ten yards after a right-wing cross from Mullins to send the game into extra time.

Palace created the first chance, with Freedman slicing a shot wide in the third minute and in the sixth minute Hutchison looked like breaking through when the ball bounced off his legs and Kolinko was able to clear.

But the Sunderland had an escape when Williams was inches away from an own-goal as he sliced a Freedman cross outside the post.

But Phillips won the game for Sunderland in the 102nd minute after Ruddock failed to judge a long clearance from Sorensen accurately, allowing Phillips to burst into the box and leave the keeper helpless with a right-foot shot.

Then Dichio, booked for a foul, petulantly kicked the ball away and was shown a red card to send Sunderland into the second period of extra time with ten men.

Kilbane, who replaced Stefan Scwarz at the start of extra time, made sure of victory in the 113th minute with a cool, left-foot finish.