Jobe Bellingham fired Sunderland to a comeback victory for the second week on the trot as they maintained their Sky Bet Championship promotion drive with a hard-fought 2-1 win over 10-man Norwich.

Trailing to Anis Slimane’s opener, the Black Cats levelled through Dan Ballard before Bellingham snatched the points with 18 minutes remaining – slightly earlier than he did in last weekend’s 3-2 win at Swansea – shortly after defender Jose Cordoba’s dismissal.

The hosts started strongly, with Patrick Roberts seeing an early shot deflected wide and Eliezer Mayenda flashing the ball across the six-yard box, but as Borja Sainz worked his way into the game down the Norwich left, the visitors began to make an impression.

Canaries playmaker Marcelino Nunez had enjoyed early success with a series of balls over the top, but the swirling wind made that tactic less effective as time wore on.

Anthony Patterson was called upon to make the game’s first save from Emiliano Marcondes’ 21st-minute shot, but he was beaten from the resulting corner when, after Sainz’s ball in had been headed back, he blocked Slimane’s initial attempt but could not repel his follow-up.

Mayenda looked to be the Black Cats’ best chance of finding a way back into the game with his direct approach, but they trailed at the break and deservedly so.

The home side returned knowing they would have to be significantly better if they were to get something out of the game, and they were back in it within two minutes.

Ballard headed Luke O’Nien’s free-kick back across goal from beyond the far post and when Mayenda returned the ball to the middle, the central defender was on hand to dispatch it past goalkeeper Angus Gunn from close range.

Both sides were wasteful in possession as they attempted to gain the upper hand, and Nunez was fortunate to escape when he tried to work a short free-kick with Jack Stacey but handed the ball straight to Wilson Isidor, who raced clear from his own half only to blaze over.

The visitors’ fortunes took a turn for the worse with 20 minutes remaining when central defender Cordoba was sent off for a second bookable offence and from the resulting free-kick, Bellingham created space for himself inside the box before curling a shot across Gunn and inside the far post.

Patterson tipped a late effort from substitute Ashley Barnes onto a post, but that was as close as Norwich came to rescuing a point.