The full-back's first goal in English football could not have been better timed.

It cancelled out Robert Earnshaw's opener and within a dozen minutes, David Healy had grabbed his debut goal which saw Niall Quinn and Roy Keane win a cup tie for the first time since taking over at Sunderland.

It was a far closer run thing than it should have been, with a strong Sunderland side out of sorts and Nottingham Forest playing above themselves.

Keane went into the game against his former club, desperate to win it, and made only two changes from the side which beat Spurs at the weekend.

New signing Cisse was given a full debut up front – a move which saw El-Hadji Diouf dropping back into midfield, where Kieran Richardson had been rested.

And Pascal Chimbonda was welcomed back into the team at right-back, which meant Phil Bardsley switching over to left-back and Danny Higginbotham dropping to the bench.

They were up against a Forest side hampered by a string of early-season injuries, but buoyed by a 3-2 Championship win over Watford at the weekend.

It was Forest who carved out the first really good chance of the game – left-back Julian Bennett floating in a cross on the quarter-hour which Matt Thornhill headed just over the bar from five yards out.

They followed that up four minutes later with a sweeping move which saw Guy Moussi play the ball out to the right for Luke Chamber's low-centre, which Robert Earnshaw almost turned in, just ouside the six-yard box.

Sunderland's plans were not helped by an early injury to Steed Mabranque who limped off to be replaced by Liam Miller.

But the Wearsiders raised their game midway through the half when Daryl Murphy's pass from the right-flank found Djibril Cisse 25 yards out and the striker smashed a left-foot shot against the base of keeper Paul Smith's left-hand post.

Sunderland pressed in the minutes afterwards, only for Forest to hit back with replies of their own.

Chris Cohen latched on to a ball over the top and forced a save out of Craig Gordon.

Daryl Murphy forced Smith to make a better save – palming a header around his post. And amid the attacks, Cisse fired one effort after another high and wide.

Sunderland's efforts were being undermined by an imprecision in their passing, typified 10 minutes from half-time when Cisse outsprinted the Forest defence down the left, only for his driven cross to have just too much on it for Murphy to be able to fashion a finish at the far post.

The visitors had a great chance to take the lead in the 38th minute when Miller's defence-splitting pass played in Dean Whitehead, but the skipper's fierce shot on the half-volley was brilliantly blocked by Smith and the captain put the rebound wide.

On the stroke of half-time Forest's leading scorer Earnshaw had a chance when Luke Chambers put the ball into the danger zone, but the striker could not connect and Sunderland breathed again.

The Wearsiders emerged with more purpose after the break and chances were created for Andy Reid and Cisse.

But they were not taken and there was a warning for the visitors when Garath McCleary rushed a shot over Gordon's bar when composure would have put the keeper's goal in real danger.

Carelessly conceded possession from Whitehead swung momentum Forest's way and in the 58th minute, Nyron Nosworthy chopped down Earnshaw to concede a free-kick just outside the Sunderland area.

The Welsh international striker made no mistake with a finely-judged, curling right-foot shot into the top left-hand corner of Gordon's goal, and in the minutes that followed it looked increasingly as though Sunderland might be on course for yet another immediate cup exit.

Just before the hour, Whitehead had been replaced by Grant Leadbitter, while just afterwards David Healy was brought on for Daryl Murphy as Sunderland upped their game.

But Forest could easly have gone two up in the 65th minute when he wrong-footed the entire Sunderland defence, running across the box from right to left but lifted his shot well over the target.

Keane's men gradually got themselves going again and in the 71st minute, Diouf's cross from the right saw Reid hit a shot into the side netting at the far post.

Then Healy had a great chance to level three minutes later, but squared to Cisse when he would have been better going for goal himself.

Sunderland finally equalised in the 86th minute when a vicious low shot from Miller on the left of the box was beaten away by Smith, and Diouf's low cross in from the right was turned over the line at point-blank range by Bardsley for his first goal for the club.

Seconds later Leadbitter flashed a shot wide before the lively Matt Thornhill at the opposite end nodded an effort just wide as the game reached full-time in pulsating fashion.

That brought half-an-hour's extra time but the key moment came nine minutes into the first period when Leadbitter took possession midway inside the Forest half and advanced into the area before hitting a left-foot shot which Smith could only parry and the ball dropped to Healy who gleefully drove a rising shot above the stranded keeper.

Forest were far from a spent force and they might even have taken the game to penalties when Earnshaw clipped a free-kick in during the second period of extra-time and Chambers headed the ball over Gordon, only for it to strike the keeper's crossbar and bounce out.

The final whistle brought a victory for Sunderland far narrower than the fact that Forest managed only one shot on target and one corner all game, might suggest.

But the key thing is that the Wearsiders progress into the next round, no matter how scrappily or unimpressively.

And the good omen for the club on a difficult night was that the last time Sunderland faced Forest in the League Cup and beat them by a solitary goal, the Wearsiders reached the final of the competition.