91Èȱ¬

Sunderland scored two late goals to rescue a Premier League point against Cardiff City in the first match since the Bluebirds sacked Malky Mackay.

The hosts dominated and were in control after Jordon Mutch's shot was deflected in off Modibo Diakite and Fraizer Campbell fired home from 12 yards out.

But substitute Steven Fletcher set up a tense finale from close range.

And in the last minute of injury time, Jack Colback's shot deflected off Steven Caulker and into the net.

Cardiff are now two points above the relegation zone and stay four ahead of Sunderland, who remain bottom of the table.

All the talk coming into the game was about Cardiff owner Vincent Tan's controversial dismissal of manager Mackay.

Tan had told Mackay, who led Cardiff to the Championship title in the summer, to resign or be sacked but appeared to back down, with the Scot being told he would be in charge for the "foreseeable future".

But that foreseeable future lasted just five days and Mackay lost his job after a 3-0 defeat by Southampton on Boxing Day.

Assistant boss David Kerslake was put in temporary charge for the Sunderland game, with Molde boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer thought to be Cardiff's first choice as manager.

But if the events of the previous fortnight were having any impact on the players, it certainly did not show early on.

With fans chanting mostly in favour of Mackay rather than against Tan, Cardiff dominated the first 30 minutes.

Steven Caulker and Mutch missed with headers before their sixth-minute opener. Campbell won the ball off Valentin Roberge and fed Mutch, whose shot from the edge of the box was deflected home by Diakite.

After Lee Cattermole had Sunderland's first shot deflected wide by one of his team-mates, Cardiff continued their dominance and Caulker headed at Vito Mannone, who then did well to keep out Peter Whittingham's low free-kick from an angle.

Sunderland had a major boost in their relegation battle with a shock 1-0 win over Everton on Boxing Day and, entirely against the run of play, they almost had another crucial goal.

Ki Sung-Yueng forced a save from David Marshall and Jozy Altidore failed to turn the ball in from a yard out at the far post.

That started a flurry of Sunderland chances and Fabio Borini forced two excellent fingertip saves from Marshall at the end of the first half before being replaced by Fletcher at the break because of illness.

After a quiet opening to the second half, the game looked sealed when Mutch took on three players and passed it to former Sunderland striker Campbell, whose first-time shot beat Mannone.

Sunderland, who had earlier gone close through Lee Cattermole, had late hope when Fletcher stretched to convert Emanuele Giaccherini's cross.

They pressed for an unlikely looking equaliser after Colback, Fletcher, Roberge and Giaccherini all squandered chances.

But in the fifth minute of injury time it finally arrived when Colback's deflected effort bamboozled Marshall.

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