Malick Fofana was delighted his hard work and patience finally paid off after celebrating his first Sunderland goal.

Sunderland progressed into the quarter-finals with a 3-2 victory at the Stadium of Light, with all three of their goals coming in a 13-minute first-half spell.

Chemsdine Talbi opened the scoring after Jocelin Ta Bi saw an effort cleared off the line, though the latter went on to assist both Tymur Tutierov and Fofana, whose maiden Sunderland goal turned out to be the winner.

Callum Wilson pulled a goal back for the Bees before half-time, while Igor Thiago scored in second-half stoppage time, but it was too late for Brentford.

Sunderland lost the expected goals (xG) battle 2.37 to 2.75, with Brentford creating four Opta-defined big chances from their 16 shots.

Nevertheless, the Black Cats made the most of their opportunities.

"I'm very happy. Finally, you can say," said Fofana, who joined Sunderland from Lyon at the end of the summer transfer window.

"It was very hard, so I've been patient and I'm very happy with my goal.

"It's always a good feeling to score at home with the fans. They support us every day, every time, so I'm very happy to give them something back.

"Since day one, I've felt a warm welcome, so I already feel at home. I'm very happy here and just enjoying the moment. I work hard every day, so I hope I can continue like this.

"The win was also very important for the team, so I hope we can continue on Saturday."

A huge shift this evening  https://t.co/RRFPCMQeOt

— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) October 28, 2026

Bi had a big influence. He created more chances than any other player (three), while completing two of his three dribbles, winning eight of his 15 duels and regaining possession five times.

"Jocelin comes from another country, another culture, we can't teach him how to dribble because he's gifted," said Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris.

"He worked hard to gain those qualities, but we can help him to learn to defend. He was brave, running much more than expected, but he was still able to deliver those two assists.

"He's a young player, and we want to give opportunities to young players. It's always easier with experienced players. In our mind, we can combine both. They can't learn until they are exposed to the problems."

Sunderland's reward for their win is a trip to Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals.