Sunderland increased the pressure on Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank as Brian Brobbey’s late equaliser gave the Black Cats a point.
Frank felt the fury of travelling supporters at the end of the goalless draw at his former club Brentford on Thursday, heightening the need for a victory over Sunderland.
Spurs looked on course for only their third win in 10 Premier League home games this season when Ben Davies broke the deadlock on the half-hour, touching in Micky van de Ven’s shot after Fulham failed to clear a corner.
It was his first goal since December 2023 against Brighton and only his eighth in 244 league appearances for Spurs.
Sunderland, too passive before the break, played with greater attacking intent thereafter, with Enzo Le Fee heading against the post before Brobbey burst into the area to give Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario little chance with a powerful finish 10 minutes from time.
Spurs were comfortable as they dominated Sunderland in the first half of a largely undistinguished encounter, but they failed to fully capitalise on their superiority.
Davies’ goal was a deserved reward, and it looked like Spurs would enjoy the luxury of a rare home victory to ease some of the ill-feeling towards Frank in the aftermath of the Brentford stalemate.
Instead, their slender lead became a burden as tension increased around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Sunderland sensing the chance to exploit the nerves.
Spurs created opportunities after the break but were wasteful, leaving the door open for Sunderland to record another fine result in their excellent return to the Premier League.
Joao Palhinha’s late header flew agonisingly wide for Spurs, leading to more loud jeers at the final whistle, the sound of frustration.
Sunderland were well below the standard that has made them such a striking addition to the Premier League as they produced a lacklustre first 45 minutes.
The Black Cats, however, showed enough to stay in contention, with captain and former Arsenal man Granit Xhaka once again an influential figure at the heart of midfield.
Sunderland steadily grew into the contest, showing determination and resilience despite seeing their resources trimmed by losing six players to the Africa Cup Of Nations.
As their threat grew, Simon Adingra curled an effort just wide and Le Fee hit the woodwork, before Brobbey escaped the Spurs defence with a burst of acceleration and came up with an explosive finish.
It was enough to earn Sunderland another point to consolidate their upper mid-table position in the Premier League.
