Sunderland 1-1 Portsmouth
Last Updated: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:19
Younes Kaboul grabbed an injury time equaliser to earn Portsmouth a point at Sunderland before being red carded for two bookings.
Kaboul struck at the death for Avram Grant's side after a disappointing display in which they barely threatened the Black Cats goal. After taking off his shirt in celebration he was shown a second yellow card and a subsequent red.
Steve Bruce will be fuming that his players did not add to Darren Bent's first half effort and kill the game off long before the last-gasp heroics from Kaboul.
The draw is not enough to lift Pompey off the bottom of the table, while Sunderland go back above Stoke into 10th spot.
Sunderland started brightly and went close on four minutes when Nyron Nosworthy's pull-back found Fraizer Campbell whose effort was deflected just over the Portsmouth bar.
Bent then managed to head wide in the area after Andy Reid's cross found him unmarked on 11 minutes.
Kenwyne Jones tried his luck with a good effort on 18 minutes and that forced David James into his first real save of the game.
Portsmouth did not trouble the Black Cats' back line in the first half and it was no surprise when Sunderland went ahead on 23 minutes. Jordan Henderson did well down the right and his cross found Reid, who then turned the ball into the path of Bent for the former Tottenham striker to fire in his tenth goal of the season.
It was almost two on 28 minutes but Henderson hit an effort narrowly over the top after more good work by Nosworthy down the right flank.
Pompey enjoyed more possession after the break but did not cause too many problems for the home defence.
Sunderland went close on 58 minutes when Nosworthy went on a mazy run past three players before blazing his shot over the bar, before Jones dragged an effort wide two minutes later.
Reid hit a free kick which clipped off James' bar on 80 minutes and Pompey's best effort came in the last minute when Kaboul's fierce drive was well held by keeper Marton Fulop.
However with the clock ticking down to the full-time whistle in stoppage time Sunderland failed to clear Jamie O'Hara's corner and Kaboul slammed in the loose ball to snatch a share of the spoils and earned himself a slightly earlier bath.