JUST over 39,000 supporters were treated to an enthralling Premier League encounter contested in an energised Stadium of Light.

Fans witnessed four well taken goals, two sending offs, a host of spurned chances and an inconsistent refereeing performance in a game where no side really deserved to lose.

West Ham took a 2-0 lead through Guillermo Franco and Carlton Cole before a super Andy Reid free-kick and a Kieran Richardson tap in brought Sunderland level in an excellent advert for top-flight football.

Nyron Nosworthy made his first league appearance since August alongside Michael Turner in place of Anton Ferdinand who dropped to the bench. Paulo Da Silva started at right back in place of Phil Bardsley who joined the substitutes, while promising youngster Jordan Henderson retained his place in the centre of the park in Lee Cattermole's absence.

The hosts startled brightly and there was little to suggest of what was to come when Darren Bent spurned an excellent chance to put Sunderland ahead, heading wide in front of goal, following excellent play from Henderson, after only six minutes. Da Silva then tried his luck from 20 yards and narrowly missed by inches five minutes later. Bent also headed high over from an Andy Reid cross as he tried to find his range before West Ham gained a foothold in the game.

The visitors had a couple of weak efforts comfortably saved by Craig Gordon early on, before the influential Valon Behrami stung the Scotsmen's fingers from 18 yards after 15 minutes.

Midfield enforcer Lorik Cana picked up his fifth booking of the campaign and is now suspended for the Black Cats' next game. The Albania international can count himself fortunate not to be sent off however after two-footed lunge on Guillermo Franco went unpunished midway through the first half.

The Black Cats went behind to a classic counter attack when Behrami found Jack Collinson who, beat the offside trap, burst down the right and pulled back for Franco to net from close range on the half hour. Four minutes later it was almost 2-0 when Collinson picked out Carlton Cole 18 yards out and the striker acrobatically brought the best out of Gordon.

There was no stopping the England striker moments later however when the excellent Collinson slipped in Cole to net goal number two.

A foul on Steed Malbranque on the edge of the area allowed Reid to expertly execute a curling free-kick into the goalkeeper's top left hand of the goal, six minutes before the break, to pull a goal back.

But the Wearsiders' task of getting a result became somewhat harder when Kenwyne Jones was sent off, somewhat harshly, for pushing Herita Lunga in first half stoppage time.

The Hammers started the second half as they finished the first and Franco, again, made Gordon work for his wages when he strongly headed a Noble corner at him.

But Robert Green proved he is also a handy keeper on his day and saved twice within two minutes. First he pushed a Bent effort for a corner following a slick Henderson pass before pulling off a delightful save from Turner from the resulting corner with the second half only five minutes old.

There was more agony for Bent a minute later when he turned his marker in the box only to blaze over from eight yards. Bent's England World Cup squad wannabe counterpart, Cole, also went close to adding to his tally after 54 minutes only to flash a shot wide of the far post.

Cana and then Da Silva went agonisingly close to levelling the contest with only the crossbar and post denying the hosts an equaliser. The Sunderland skipper crashed a header against the crossbar from Reid's corner before the fullback struck the upright in the 65th minute. And when, eight minutes later Malbranque contrived to volley wide from Kieran Richardson's deep cross from the left – it looked as if it wasn't going to be Sunderland's day.

The Black Cats' resilience was rewarded, however, when Henderson fed Bent down the right and his cross deflected off Matthew Upson, looped over Green and Richardson poked home from a yard to level with 14 minutes left to play.

Cole and substitute Zavon Hines flashed shots wide as if to warn the home team it wasn't over yet, while Nosworthy saved a certain goal with a well-timed tackle to thwart Cole a certain goal.

But that wasn't the end of it and Bent wasted two gilt edged chances for Steve Bruce's side to win the contest with only four minutes left of play, which looked unlikely when they trailed 2-0. George McCartney even had time to clear off the line before referee Andre Mariner blew time on an eventful 2-2 draw.