SUNDERLAND 0 LEICESTER CITY 0

SUNDERLAND failed to claim the win that would have guaranteed their Premier League survival, but the point earned from a goalless draw with Leicester has edged them closer to survival with two games remaining.

Leicester are now certain to be in the top-flight next season, and the Black Cats will join them if they can claim a point at Arsenal on Wednesday night.

Failing that, they will head into their final game at champions Chelsea with a three-point advantage over Hull City, who lost 2-0 at Tottenham this afternoon and entertain Manchester United on the final weekend, but with an inferior goal difference.

The Wearsiders were marginally the better side for most of today’s game, which was their final outing of the season at the Stadium of Light, but they struggled to carve out chances and never really tested Kasper Schmeichel in the Leicester goal.

Dick Advocaat made two changes to the side that secured last weekend’s crucial win at Everton, with skipper John O’Shea returning from injury to replace Wes Brown at the heart of the back four and Liam Bridcutt coming back into the side for the injured Jordi Gomez.

Sunderland began brightly, and Seb Larsson almost made a breakthrough in the seventh minute with a whipped free-kick that was superbly tipped around the post by Kasper Schmeichel.

However, while the Black Cats were marginally the better side throughout the first half, their early impetus quickly dissipated.

The opening period was an extremely scrappy affair, peppered with free-kicks and niggly fouls, and neither side was really able to extend their opponents’ back four.

O’Shea produced an excellent sliding challenge to block Jamie Vardy’s ninth-minute shot from inside the area, but it was another 15 minutes before either side was able to fashion another opportunity.

When it came, it was the best chance before the break, with Lee Cattermole floating a chipped pass into the area, and Danny Graham swivelling to drill in a first-time volley. Unfortunately, the Sunderland striker wasn’t quite able to catch the ball cleanly, and Schmeichel was able to pull off a fairly routine save.

Graham, who finally broke his Sunderland duck at the 28th time of asking last weekend, was involved again shortly after the half-hour mark, cushioning Sebastian Coates’ long pass into Connor Wickham’s path, only for the England Under-21 international to blaze a shot well wide.

That was that in terms of first-half opportunities, although there was still time for Lee Cattermole to pick up his 14th booking of the season two minutes before the break, a tally that equals the all-time Premier League record held by Robbie Savage, Mark Hughes and Cheick Tiote.

For the most part, the second half followed a similarly scrappy pattern to the first, although Leonardo Ulloa went close with a 48th-minute header from Marc Albrighton’s corner that flashed past the front post.

Advocaat turned to Adam Johnson on the hour mark in an attempt to inject some pace into proceedings, and Sunderland immediately appeared more energised as a result.

Patrick van Aanholt flashed a 25-yard drive narrowly past the post, before Johnson cut in from the right-hand side to drill in a low strike that Schmeichel scrambled around the post.

Steven Fletcher came on for the final ten minutes, replacing Graham, but it was Leicester who almost had the last laugh thanks to a stoppage-time mix-up between O’Shea and Costel Pantilimon.

O’Shea’s hesitation forced Pantilimon to dive in to get to the ball ahead of Vardy, but the ball broke kindly for Andrej Kramaric. The substitute had the goal at his mercy, but from 30 yards out, curled well wide of an empty net.

Sunderland (4-3-3): Pantilimon; Jones (Reveillere 85), O’Shea, Coates, van Aanholt; Bridcutt (Johnson 60), Cattermole, Larsson; Defoe, Graham (Fletcher 80), Wickham.

Subs (not used): Mannone (gk), Vergini, Buckley, Giaccherini.

Leicester (3-5-2): Schmeichel; Wasilewski, Huth, Morgan; Albrighton, King, Cambiasso, Mahrez (Drinkwater 67), Schlupp; Ulloa (Kramaric 74), Vardy.

Subs (not used): Schwarzer (gk), De Laet, Konchesky, Hammond, Wood.