Sunderland's hopes of securing a vital win were dashed late as Southampton claimed a point thanks to Virgil van Dijk.
Virgil van Dijk grabbed an injury-time equalizer for 10-man Southampton as a 1-1 draw denied Sunderland a precious win in its bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The Wearsiders appeared on course for a third away win of the season when substitute Jermain Defoe put them ahead with five minutes to go, six minutes after Southampton's Jose Fonte was red-carded for dragging down Fabio Borini.
But Fonte's central defensive partner Van Dijk slammed home Dusan Tadic's center with time running out to hand Southampton a point it undoubtedly deserved on the balance of play.