Sunderland 1 Tottenham 1

Mar 8 2009 by James Hunter, Sunday Sun

INJUSTICE? Or sheer unprofessionalism? It was hard to decide exactly where the blame lay as Sunderland saw Robbie Keane’s last-minute equaliser cancel out Kieran Richardson’s early strike and deny them what would have been a priceless victory in the battle for Premier League survival.

Was it the fault of referee Phil Dowd, for waving away Sunderland’s penalty claims after Ledley King bundled Kenwyne Jones to the ground? Or was it, as Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia maintained, the fault of his players for being too gung-ho late in the game and being caught too far forward when Tottenham counter-attacked and scored their goal? In fact, it was a bit of both.

Because no sooner had Dowd ignored the stonewall penalty, than Spurs immediately charged forward and took full advantage of Sunderland’s lack of numbers at the back.

But as Dowd slunk off the pitch at full-time to a chorus of boos, there was no doubt who the home fans felt was at fault for depriving their side of two precious points.

Dowd became the latest name on the roll of dishonour of referees whose failings have cost Sunderland dearly since the turn of the year.

Last month it was Howard Webb and the phantom penalty he awarded Newcastle, which meant Sunderland had to settle for a draw at St James’s Park.

The month before it was Mike Dean who gifted Aston Villa a 2-1 victory at the Stadium of Light, allowing James Milner to score with his arm and then awarding a penalty — for a foul which clearly took place outside the penalty area — which Villa duly converted.

Human errors, every one, but that does not make them any easier to swallow as Sunderland continue to fight for survival.

Sunderland are currently 13th with 32 points but, had they got what they deserved from these three games, they would now be eighth with 39 points on the board — and as good as safe.

As it is, they are five points clear of the relegation zone with 10 games left to play and the pressure is back on again.

Sbragia made two changes to the side that lost at Liverpool in midweek, with Phil Bardsley coming in at the expense of Anton Ferdinand, who picked up a hamstring strain in training, while Djibril Cissé replaced Grant Leadbitter.