A chilled and nervous audience watched, cursed and ultimately sighed in relief last night as two of the Premiership's most out-of-sorts sides grappled their way to a stalemate.
Trailing to Julian Joachim's second-half goal, Sunderland rallied late on as Stefan Schwarz's 25-yard free-kick was deflected off Alan Wright and parried by the hapless David James. Daniele Dichio's follow-up succeeded only in finding Gavin McCann who gleefully tapped the equaliser into the empty net.
In truth, parity did little for either side's long-term prospects. Villa continue to hover precariously over the relegation scrap, their sole remaining goal a galling survival bid; Sunderland, without a top-flight victory for two months, were left gnashing in frustration as their Champions League dream faded further into farce.
This was home manager Peter Reid's 250th league match, spanning almost six years on Wearside, during which only 15 teams have left victorious at his expense. Yet the prevailing mood was less of celebration and more of apprehension.
Sunderland's recent jitters have rekindled nightmarish memories of last season's three-month slump - an 11-match winless streak that derailed a once thriving challenge and left them in seventh place.
Sunderland should have gone ahead after just four minutes. James shanked his clearance straight to Niall Quinn - soon to depart with a recurrence of a back injury - who advanced into the area to shoot across the England goalkeeper and wide of the far post with Don Hutchison unmarked and livid in the middle.
Unperturbed, the home side poured forward with Gareth Barry and Alpay Ozalan desperately thwarting John Oster and Quinn once again.
The visitors had threatened only when Paul Merson, class oozing with every graceful twist, found time to perform on the ball. On the rare occasion the home rearguard failed to deal with Villa's punts forward, Dion Dublin sent Joachim clear five minutes before the interval only for Thomas Sorensen to block the striker's vicious shot.
The former Leicester striker had better luck just six minutes into the second period. James' long clearance bounced towards the home area with Emerson Thome in a miserable muddle and, after Lee Hendrie nodded the ball back towards the heavens, Joachim gathered, turned and crashed his shot low beyond the exposed Sorensen's dive.
SUNDERLAND: Sorensen, Makin, Gray, Craddock, Thome, Arca, McCann, Schwarz, Hutchison, Oster (Butler 80), Quinn (Dichio 36). Subs Not Used: Thirlwell, McCartney, Macho. Booked: Arca. Goals: McCann 84.
ASTON VILLA: James, Wright, Staunton, Barry, Alpay, Taylor, Hendrie, Stone, Merson, Dublin, Joachim. Subs Not Used: Angel, Ginola, Moore, Samuel, Enckelman. Booked: Alpay, Stone. Goals: Joachim 52.
Referee: S Lodge (Barnsley).
