ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Portsmouth 1 Sunderland 1:SUNDERLAND WILL bemoan throwing away their chances of a first league victory in almost three months, but Portsmouth were left cheering a late equaliser from Aruna Dindane which offered some respite, at least, from their season from hell.

But within eight minutes of the kick-off they looked set for freefall. While dialogue between the club’s solicitors and the revenue about halting today’s winding-up petition continued in London, catastrophe struck on the field.

Sunderland’s beleaguered manager Steve Bruce must have enjoyed Darren Bent’s penalty.

The strike, though, had been delayed after referee Kevin Friend had one of those episodes all officials dread. Kenwyne Jones flicked a through ball into Bent’s path, then Ricardo Rocha appeared to clip his heel. Yet when Friend decided to show a red card it was Hassan Yebda he told to depart.

Following confusion Friend will not want to relive, Rocha finally saved the referee’s embarrassment by owning up.

But if Friend had hoped his red card was now rested for the evening he was mistaken. In fact he doubled his tally during a frantic second half.

A Fratton Park howl for a second turned-down penalty-claim had hardly faded when Friend decided Cattermole should go for his second bookable offence.

And, despite Friend reaching for the red card for a fourth time to dismiss Sunderland’s late substitute David Meyler, come the final whistle and Dindane’s finish it seemed Portsmouth’s fortune had not quite run dry.

GuardianService

PORTSMOUTH: James, Finnan (Webber 89), Ben-Haim, Wilson, Rocha, Basinas, Diop (Kanu 75), Yebda (Belhadj 78), O'Hara, Piquionne, Dindane. Subs not used: Ashdown, Mullins, Owusu-Abeyie, Hughes. Booked: Finnan, Dindane, Ben-Haim.

SUNDERLAND: Gordon, Hutton, Turner, Kilgallon, McCartney, Malbranque (Zenden 45), Cana, Cattermole, Reid (Meyler 85), Bent (Bardsley 89), Jones. Subs not used: Carson, Da Silva, Mwaruwari, Liddle. Booked: Cattermole.

Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire).