Sunderland 1 Rotherham United 1

With his team deservedly trailing to a Rotherham side that were seemingly set to all-but-guarantee their automatic promotion to the Championship, substitute Jack Clarke swung over a cross from the left-hand side.

Michael Ihiekwe, whose first-half header had fired the Millers into the lead, had ample opportunity to deal with the danger. In truth, with Sunderland’s attackers not exactly applying any pressure in the 18-yard box, he could have headed the ball pretty much anywhere. Anywhere, that is, except the top corner of his own goal.

With his goalkeeper, Viktor Johansson, looking on open-mouthed, Ihiekwe arrowed an unstoppable header into the roof of his own net. From a position where they would have been heading to Morecambe level on points with both Plymouth and Wycombe, Sunderland suddenly found themselves a potentially-crucial point ahead of their two promotion rivals. As a result, if they win at the Mazuma Stadium, they will be guaranteed a play-off place no matter what happens elsewhere.

In truth, they did not really deserve their dramatic late rescue last night, such was the extent to which they had been outplayed in the previous 88 minutes. That they claimed a point without recording a single effort on target says much about the paucity of their performance, although the fact they kept on plugging away in the closing stages at least confirms that their commitment and effort remains intact. Collectively, they also refused to throw in the towel, a mindset that could serve them well if things become sticky at the weekend.

They will need to improve their performance levels at Morecambe though, and given their weekend opponents’ desperate need for a positive result as they battle against the drop, Alex Neil will have been alarmed at the way in which his side was physically outmuscled last night. They cannot afford to be bullied again on Saturday.

With his defensive options having been seriously depleted by injuries to Dennis Cirkin and Carl Winchester, Neil was forced to turn to two of the younger members of his backline last night as he stuck with the 3-5-2 formation that has proved so effective in the last month or so. He will no doubt be hoping he has some more experienced options available in three days’ time.

Callum Doyle was back as one of the three centre-halves, having come off the bench to replace Winchester at the weekend, while Trai Hume was recalled for his first start since mid-February at right wing-back, with Lynden Gooch switching across to the opposite flank.

It felt like a worryingly makeshift backline for a game of such magnitude, and sure enough, Sunderland were undone in a disappointingly routine manner as Rotherham opened the scoring 17 minutes in.

Danny Batth did well to get his body in the way of Ben Wiles’ shot from the edge of the area, but Sunderland’s defence was found wanting from the resultant corner.

Nobody picked up Ihiekwe as he burst to the edge of the six-yard box to meet former Newcastle United trainee Dan Barlaser’s delivery, and the Liverpudlian was left with the simple task of planting a powerful header past a helpless Anthony Patterson.

The goal was the result of some dreadful Sunderland marking, but also highlighted the extent to which Rotherham’s superior physicality was enabling them to dominate the game.

Neil’s decision to restore Jay Matete to the starting line-up was clearly an attempt to beef up his team’s midfield, but it proved insufficient to prevent Sunderland’s opponents from bullying their way around the field. With Michael Smith winning a succession of knock-downs and both Barlaser and Chiedozie Ogbene snapping into tackles at the heart of midfield, every time the ball went into the Black Cats’ defensive third, it felt as though the home side were about to come under serious pressure.

Wiles almost added a second goal three minutes after Ihiekwe’s opener, only to drag his shot wide of the target after some impressive approach play on the edge of the box, and Jordi Osei-Tutu also failed to test Patterson after wriggling his way into a shooting position midway through the first half.

With Ihiekwe planting another header wide as Rotherham’s delivery of balls into the box continued to cause problems, Sunderland were somewhat fortunate to be only trailing by one goal at the interval.

They certainly did not look like scoring themselves before the break, with the midfield triumvirate of Matete, Corry Evans and Luke O’Nien failing to provide either silk or steel. With Dan Neil, Elliot Embleton and Alex Pritchard all on the bench, there was no one capable of linking play or beating an opponent in a red-and-white shirt, hence why the Wearsiders’ attacking play was so laboured and lacking in penetration.

Nathan Broadhead and Ross Stewart were little more than spectators for long spells, battling gamely yet ineffectually against Rotherham’s three imposing centre-halves.

Given his side’s clear inferiority before the break, it was a surprise that Neil did not opt to make changes at half-time, and while Gooch dribbled his way into the area to set up Corry Evans five minutes into the second half, the midfielder’s snatched shot that sailed wastefully over the crossbar summed up Sunderland’s evening.

Neil had seen enough by the 53rd minute, although his decision to withdraw Broadhead in order to introduce Pritchard did not go down especially well with significant swathes of the home support.

Jack Clarke was also on by the hour mark, replacing Hume, who had struggled to cope with Osei-Tutt’s driving runs down the flank, but it was Rotherham that continued to offer the greater threat, especially from set-pieces.

Barlaser’s fizzing corners caused problems all night, and Richard Wood would have doubled the Millers’ lead midway through the second half had he not directed a thumping header straight at Patterson, who was able to make a relatively untroubled save.

Sunderland needed some inspiration from somewhere, and it almost came courtesy of a driving run down the left flank from O’Nien with 20 minutes left. The midfielder flashed an inviting ball across the face of the six-yard box, but a stretching Stewart was unable to make any contact as he looked to prod home.

Pritchard whipped a 25-yard free-kick into the side-netting as the Black Cats finally found some rhythm in the closing stages, but an equaliser hardly looked like coming before Sunderland were handed a route back into the game in truly remarkable circumstances with two minutes left.

There appeared to be little on when Clarke swung over a cross from the left-hand side, with Ihiekwe in plenty of space close to the penalty spot as he shaped to deal with the danger.

The centre-half could have headed the ball anywhere, but inexplicably, he arrowed a diving header past his own goalkeeper, Viktor Johansson, and into the top left-hand corner of the net. Even Sunderland’s players were left looking on incredulous, before breaking away in manic celebration.