Jermain Defoe scored a dramatic 94th-minute penalty against Stoke City on Saturday to keep alive Sunderland's hopes of surviving in the Premier League.
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker earned the Black Cats a point after drawing level on 1-1 following Marko Arnautovic's opener in the 50th minute.
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The Black Cats are back in the relegation zone as a result of Newcastle United's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, but the draw at the Britannia Stadium puts them just two points from safety with three games left to play.
Stoke started off the brighter of the two sides as Xherdan Shaqiri got on the ball numerous times to deliver crosses into the box.
An early attempt ended in the hands of goalkeeper Vito Mannone, while another minutes later was cut out by Sunderland's defenders.
The home side struggled to find the breakthrough, but they came close when Patrick van Aanholt attempted a long-range shot from a rebound, but it was a poor effort and the ball fell wide of the post.
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The best chance of the first half came to Peter Crouch, who managed to get a header away after Charlie Adam chipped the ball in, but the striker's attempt went narrowly wide.
At the other end, Defoe picked the ball up on the edge of the area and hammered it towards the centre of the goal, but Jakob Haugaard managed to get hands on the ball.
Both sides returned to the dressing rooms goalless, but the scoreline changed just five minutes after the restart, and it was Stoke who found the breakthrough.
The goal was created from a cross into the area, which found Crouch, but the striker opted to header down towards Arnautovic, who fired home.
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Nerves were felt in the away end once Sunderland fans had heard that Newcastle had taken the lead in their match, and the game looked destined for a defeat as the clock ticked down.
The dramatic moment came in stoppage time when Geoff Cameron brought down Defoe and gave away a penalty, which was comfortably converted by the striker.
It was the final bit of action in the game, which has kept Sunderland in the hunt for safety, while Stoke are ninth in the standings on 50 points.
Danielle Joynson
