Luton Town 1-1 Sunderland: Elliot Embleton equaliser pegs back Hatters
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Elliot Embleton (left) scores his second goal in four matches
Elliot Embleton's equaliser helped Sunderland fight back to hold Luton to a draw at Kenilworth Road.
Embleton was found unmarked by Jack Clarke's cross and swept home with 12 minutes left to reward growing pressure from the visitors.
Carlton Morris put the hosts ahead on the stroke of half-time, pouncing to convert Alfie Doughty's menacing cross from close range.
Both sides had hit the post in the opening half-hour, Doughty heading Amari'i Bell's cross against the woodwork for the hosts before Leon Dajaku's shot did likewise moments later.
Patrick Roberts almost earned victory for Tony Mowbray in his 800th match in club management, when his late effort curled just past the post, but a fourth draw in eight leaves the Black Cats in 16th.
Nathan Jones had hoped to mark his 300th game in charge of the Hatters with a third win in four, but their fifth home draw of the season leaves them just three points outside the play-off places in ninth.
The Hatters had the better of an open first half, with Morris forcing Anthony Patterson into a smart low save before claiming his eighth goal of a prolific campaign in first-half stoppage-time.
But the Black Cats had their opportunities before the break, and rattled a post for a second time through Danny Batth's header before Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo forced Town keeper Ethan Horvath into a smart stop low down.
Luton started the second half well and Doughty almost doubled the lead when his first-time cross forced Patterson to punch clear as he dived backwards.
But Mowbray's triple change on the hour seemed to do the trick, with Clarke denied on the goalline moments before teeing up Embleton.
Luton manager Nathan Jones told BBC Three Counties Radio:
"They're a really tricky side to play against because of the individuals they've got and the way they play, but we had to make sure we bounced back and not go back-to-back defeats after last week and I thought we started really, really well.
"This team have been lambasted (after the defeat by Watford), been called embarrassing, called everything, and that annoys me a little bit. I know it's local rivalry, but they gave us everything.
"I understand the frustrations of the fans, but I want them to understand that we hurt like they do, but we move on and today we're disappointed we weren't further ahead at half-time.
"We had to weather a bit and then we finished really strongly and probably the more likely to score the goal and that's the only thing."
Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Newcastle:
"It was a fine balance today between having enough physicality on the pitch, but then as the game rolled and we needed a goal, we had to put our footballers on the pitch because that's the only way to beat them, to keep them off the ball, get between the lines and turn them.
"If you start like that you're 3-0 down after 20 minutes because you can't win a header and you can't defend. So we had to build what we wanted to play into our game as we went along and that's what happened.
"We got some footballers on to the pitch that were desperate to play, full of energy, and we managed to push them back and create some good chances."