Mark Rivers fired Crewe on to the 3rd round of the Carling Cup in a penalty shoot out after a the six goal extravaganza at the Alexandra Stadium. Crewe won through 4 - 2 on penalties after Sunderland Stephen Caldwell put his kick onto the bar and homekeeper Ben Williams saved young Neil Collins efforts.
The Cheshire saved the tie two min from the end of extra time when Steve Fosting diving header level the contest up at 3 each after the under strengh Wiersiders appeared to have clinch it with Substitute Steve Elliot's 102nd min strick.
Visiting boss Mick McCarthy made 10 changes to his starting line up from the weekend and it looked as though it would cost him again as Crewe were on top in the first period. Striker Steve Jones' pace exposed a makeshift defence time and time again and he volleyed Crewe in front in the 19th minute after Dean Ashton had flicked on Williams' goal kick. Ashton shoudl have added to that shortly afterwards, but shot straight at Thomas Myhre.
The Danish keeper made an excellent stop when he palmed away Jones' angled drive but one of the youngsters introduced to the Sunderland ranks levelled the scores in the 37th minute .
Chris Brown ran on to Liam Lawrence's right wing cross and thumped the header into the top corner.
But Ashton restored Crewe's lead in the 64th minute when he ran on to Kenny Lunt's through ball and went round Myhre to slot home.
Crewe captain Lunt came close to making the tie safe when his lofted free kick almost the found the top corner before the keeper held on to it.
And Brown got his side's second equaliser 7 minutes from time when he diverted Lawrence's cross-come-shot from 10 yards out. Elliott rapped the underside of the Crewe bar as the visitors threatened to win the tie in normal time.
But after Vaughan had also hit the woodwork at the start of extra time, Sunderland nudged in front for the first time on the night. Elliott took Brown's pass and hit an angled shot across Williams into the far corner. But Foster levelled things up yet again when he met Ashton's flick from a Lund corner as the clock ticked down.