Sunderland beat 10-man Portsmouth 1-0 on Sunday to close the gap on the top three sides in the English Championship.
Wilson Isidor's early goal was enough to secure a second home win in five days for the fourth-placed Black Cats, who moved three points behind leaders Leeds.
Burnley, in second place, have 52 points, the same tally as Sheffield United.
Relegation-threatened Portsmouth had captain Marlon Pack sent off midway through the second half for bringing down Isidor.
Sunderland took the lead in the seventh minute when Eliezer Mayenda picked out the run of his strike partner with a defence-splitting pass and Isidor confidently slotted away his third goal in four games.
Portsmouth's task was made all the more difficult when last man Pack was sent off for dragging Isidor down as the striker raced in on goal.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Portsmouth grew in confidence in the final stages but could not force an unlikely equaliser.
"The early goal was important and opened the game for us," Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris told the BBC. "But Portsmouth did well with their own style of play and we struggled.
"It was better second half but we didn't score this second goal – 24 shots, many big chances, so the game was open until the end.
"Even if we didn't score this goal, we showed our consistency, which is good for a young team."