Southampton travelled to Sunderland on Sunday afternoon with both sides knowing that a victory would ensure their place in the top flight for another season.
Sunderland were unbeaten in their last two home games, while Southampton had not won in four matches.
Phil Bardsley gave the Black Cats a 67-minute lead with his second goal in two years, but the Saints earned a point courtesy of substitute Jason Puncheon's late strike.
Read how the game unfolded below with Sports Mole's blow-by-blow text updates.
Sunderland starting XI: Simon Mignolet, Phil Bardsley, Danny Rose, John O'Shea, Carlos Cuellar, Alfred Ndiaye, Sebastian Larsson, Jack Colback, James McClean, Danny Graham, Adam Johnson.
Southampton starting XI: Artur Boruc, Nathaniel Clyne, Jos Hooiveld, Jose Fonte, Luke Shaw, Morgan Schneiderlin, Steven Davis, Jay Rodriguez, Jack Cork, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert
Sunderland get the game underway at a noisy Stadium of Light.
Sunderland subs: Kieren Westwood, Matthew Kilgallon, Liam Marrs, David Vaughan, Abdou Kader Mangane, Connor Wickham, Mikael Mandron.
Southampton subs: Kelvin Davis, Maya Yoshida, Vegard Forren, James Ward-Prowse, Jason Puncheon, Emmanuel Mayuka, Steve De Ridder.
Southampton are one point and two places above Sunderland in the Premier League table, and the visitors have looked the better side so far.
Rose plays a short back-pass towards Mignolet and the Sunderland keeper is forced to concede a corner kick...
Impressive goalkeeping from Mignolet, as he takes command of the situation and fists the ball clear under pressure from Lambert.
It looks as though Sunderland's game plan is to sit deep and try to hit the Saints on the counter-attack. At present, though, the visitors are dominating possession and penning their opponents in.
Lallana whips in a free kick that causes panic in the Sunderland defence. However, McClean is there to save his side by blocking Hooiveld's header.
Sunderland need to get Graham into this game. The frontman is isolated at present, and that is making it all to easy for Southampton to play the ball out from the back.
Clyne charges forward down the right flack, before firing in a dangerous low cross, which, on the stretch, Cuellar manages to clear.
The home fans, who had been in full voice when this game began, have quietened right down. However, they are briefly given reason to cheer once again, as Colback produces a brilliant challenge to stop Shaw breaking clear down the left.
CHANCE! N'Diaye storms though the middle and the shoots at goal from the edge of the area. His effort is blocked, but he should have passed to Colback, who was in an excellent position.
We have finally seen the first shot on target! Lambert forces an easy stop out of Mignolet from long range.
CHANCE! Mignolet is at the centre of the action again. This time he has to make a decent stop to deny Rodriguez's powerful drive, which came through a crowd of bodies. Corner to Southampton...
More good work from Mignolet, as the big Belgium comes out bravely to catch Lallana's floated cross.
CHANCE! Big let off for Sunderland. Rose's poor defensive header puts Lallana in behind, but the Saints winger fires wide.
Sunderland enjoy their best spell of the game so far, as they earn consecutive corners.
CHANCE! O'Shea nods down for Johnson, who pokes tamely at Boruc from close range.
CHANCE! Lambert shows great touch to control Davis's through pass, but he then miscues his shot, which is easily saved by Mignolet.
Larsson fires in an effort from 25 yards, but Davis makes a good block.
Half time: Sunderland 0-0 Southampton.
Thank goodness for the whistle, it has been a dire game of football so far.
Here are the other half-time scores from around the Premier League this afternoon: Everton 1-0 West Ham United, Fulham 1-1 Liverpool, Norwich City 1-0 West Bromwich Albion, Queens Park Rangers 1-2 Newcastle United.
If scores were to remain as they are, Sunderland would drop to 17th in the table and be four points above Wigan Athletic, who would need to beat both Arsenal and Aston Villa to have a change of staying up.
A draw is therefore not a bad result for the Black Cats and perhaps that explains why they have played so conservatively thus far.
Click here to read Kristian Johnson's half-time report on the action here on Wearside.
Sunderland have certainly missed the suspended Stephane Sessegnon this afternoon.
SUB: Paulo Di Canio is making a change ahead of the second half. Connor Wickham is replacing McClean, who has been very subdued.
Southampton get the second half underway...
Shaw gets forward again, as he whizzes past Bardsley, before looping in a deep cross, which is well taken by Mignolet.
Sunderland now seem to be pressing their opponents higher up the pitch. Also, the introduction of big Wickham is giving the Southampton defenders something to think about.
Lallana's snapshot is blocked by O'Shea and the ball rolls out for a corner to Southampton.
From the resultant set piece, Lallana's cross finds the head of Rodriguez, whose effort is pushed clear by Mignolet.
CHANCE! Rose drills in a low cross across the face of goal, but Graham, sliding in, misses it by the narrowest of margins.
Cuellar beats Rodriguez to a lofted through pass and the Spaniard then clears the ball behind for a Saints corner.
Rodriguez mets Davis's inswinging corner, but his header is straight at Mignolet.
The official attendance has been announced as 41,988.
There is a bit of a lull here. The tempo of the game has slowed right down, but both sides are keeping possession well.
GOAL! Sunderland 1-0 Southampton - Phil Bardsley
Out of nothing, Sunderland take the lead in spectacular fashion. Bardsley collects Johnson's simple pass in the right corner of the penalty area and then arrows an unstoppable strike, which flashes past Boruc and into the top corner of the net.
After scoring his second goal in two years, Bardsley attempts to net a third, as he smacks in an effort from long range. However, it is well blocked.
BOOKING: Rodriguez is shown a yellow card by Mike Dean, presumably for dissent.
SUBS: Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino makes a double change, bring on Ward-Prowse and Puncheon for Cork and Lallana.
SUB: Sunderland make their second change, as Vaughan replaces Larsson.
GOAL! Sunderland 1-1 Southampton - Jason Puncheon
The Southampton substitutes combine to devastating effect, as Ward-Prowse crosses for Puncheon, who, after seeing his initial header saved by Mignolet, smacks home the rebound.
Buoyed by their equaliser, Southampton piled forward and Davis tries his luck from just outside the penalty area. He hits his shot well, but N'Diaye makes a fantastic block.
Ward-Prowse puts in a lovely cross towards Lambert, who is needlessly offside. That was lazy by the Saints front man.
CHANCE! Stunning save by Mignolet to deny Lambert. Rodriguez flicks the ball into the path of Lambert, who angles a low drive across goal. Mignolet does brilliantly to get down quickly and make a vital stop.
Southampton are bossing this game right now and Sunderland are desperately hanging on.
Rodriguez muscles his way through the Black Cats' defence and he is about to shoot from close range, when referee Dean blows up for a nudge on Rose. Lucky escape for the hosts.
There will be a minimum of three minutes added on...
Sunderland launch a rare attack and Johnson's fizzing shot from 20 yards is well blocked by the head of Hooiveld.
Hooiveld's head comes to his side's rescue again, as he clears a deep cross from Bardsley.
Full time: Sunderland 1-1 Southampton
Mike Dean has blown his whistle for the final time today and neither side look too disappointed. The result leaves Sunderland four points clear of the relegation zone, while Southampton are five points clear of danger.
FA Cup winners Wigan Athletic must now win at Arsenal on Tuesday or, barring a mathematical miracle, they will join QPR and Reading in the Championship next season.
Click here to read Kristian Johnson's match report.
Here are the rest of today's Premier League results: Stoke City 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur, Everton 2-0 West Ham United, Fulham 1-3 Liverpool, Norwich City 4-0 West Bromwich Albion, Queens Park Rangers 1-2 Newcastle United.
Manchester United are currently in action against Swansea City in the final game of the day. The Red Devils are 1-0 ahead. Click here to follow the remainder of that match with Matt Cotton's live text commentary.
That's all from me for today, thanks for joining Sports Mole for this late-season scrap. Goodbye.
Written by
Robert Summerscales
Robert Summerscales
