Oct 31, 2009 - 4:17 PM
0 shoutsBy GEOFF McALLISTER STATS European Football Writer=
LONDON (SE) - Sunderland fought back from two goals down and after being reduced to ten men to snatch a 2-2 draw with West Ham at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland were just getting back into the match at 2-1 in the 44th minute when striker Kenwyne Jones was sent off by referee Andre Marriner for a foul on Hammers defender Herita Illunga.
But Steve Bruce's team dominated the second half and got their reward with Kieran Richardson's 76th minute equaliser.
There was still time for West Ham to have midfield player Radoslav Kovac dismissed five minutes from the end for a second bookable offence.
In the end a draw was about the right result for a fiercely-contested affair in which both sides created plenty of chances.
Bruce said: "We made a poor start. Some of our defending was terrible and then we have a player sent off just when we got back into the game.
"But we kept going and I thought we deserved to get a second goal and with better finishing we might have got a winner."
West Ham were ahead in the 30th minute when Mexican international striker Guillermo Franco claimed his first goal for the club with a near-post tap-in as Jack Collison sprang the offside trap.
Sunderland's afternoon worsened six minutes later when Collison was involved again, setting up a chance which was finished with ruthless efficiency by Carlton Cole for his fifth goal in six Premier League games.
Andy Reid restored belief in the home ranks when his left foot free kick from the edge of the area gave Robert Green no chance of saving.
Then came Jones's dismissal and the momentum appeared to swing back to West Ham.
But far from it. Sunderland made numerous chances in the second half but Darren Bent wasted the best of them and on other occasions, Green was in top form.
An equaliser seemed sure to come and it did with 14 minutes remaining after Bent had crossed from the right and found former West Ham junior Richardson free to score from close range.
Bent headed wide when a third goal looked inevitable and West Ham were obliged to hang on grimly after Kovacs had gone for a second yellow card.
Bent twice more missed badly in the final minutes as West Ham held out with Green again commanding.
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola said: "I was a little disappointed that we did not press on after going two goals up. If we had held on to half time at 2-0 I am sure we could have won.
"But we let them score just after our second goal, and in the second half we had to defend very well to get a draw.
"But I think we created some very good chances and we could have won.
"Sunderland were very strong in the second half but we held on and Robert Green made some good saves."
