Sunderland’s second-half fightback saw them claim a point against Luton Town with Elliot Embleton coming off the bench to score a well earned equaliser.
After full behind through Carlton Morris’ finish on the stroke of half-time, a battling performance was rewarded with a point on the road.
The full throttle first half at in Bedfordshire saw both sides playing out positive and attacking football.
Some last ditch defending from Dennis Cirkin prevented the Hatters from taking a two minute lead. Carlton Morris’ cutback fed the run of Alfie Doughty inside the six yard box but Cirkin’s sliding intervention stopped Doughty in his tracks. Luton’s lively start continued as Morris low drive required Anthony Patterson to parry away.
Jack Clarke came close to showcasing some individual brilliance as a mazy run from the left took him past three Luton players and into the box but his angled drive was palmed out by Ethan Horvath. Dennis Cirkin then flashed a header from the resulting corner wide of the post.
The Hatters kept up the pressure as Dougthy rose highest to power a header off the indside of the post. Elijah Adebayo followed up with two efforts at the back post but both were crucially blocked out, first by Luke O’Nien and then by Patterson.
The end-to-end football continued as the ball broke through to Dajaku. His dummy beat Dan Potts inside the box but his good work went unrewarded as a left footed drive smacked the outside of the post.
The Lads tested the Hatters resolve and the strength of the woodwork again when Danny Batth’s powerful header from Alex Pritchard’s delivery hit the base of the post.
Amad was hellbent on adding to his tally after opening his account against Burnley last weekend but was denied twice by Horvath, first from a 20 yard bending free-kick then from a low drive inside the box.
After a frantic first 45 minutes, the breakthrough in the game was made in stoppage time by the home side as Morris latched onto the end of Doughty’s low cross to slam the ball home.
Patterson was called into action again shortly after the interval when Doughty’s dipping cross threatened to sneak in at the back post but the keeper showed good instincts to back peddle and palm the ball over his own bar.
Mowbray enforced a triple substitution just shy of the hourmark with Eduoard Michut, Patrick Roberts and Elliot Embleton thrown into the action.
Amad lively performance continued as another mazy run caused problems for the Luton defence but low drive from the angle hit the side netting.
Ellis Simms made his first-team return from the bench as the Lads pushed hard to find an equaliser. From a well worked move, Simms was denied by a flurry of red shirts who blocked his effort before Clarke was brilliantly denied by Tom Lockyer’s outstanding intervention.
But the Black Cats continued pressure in the second half paid off. Clarke made a darting run to the byline and his cutback to Embleton was smartly converted by the number eight for his second goal of the season.
Mowbray’s side kept up the pressure with Roberts jinking inside from the right and see his bending shot whizzing agonisingly wide of the post but in the end, the Lads took a point back up the road in front of 1,000 travelling supporters.
Goals: Morris 45+2', Embleton 78'
Sunderland XI: Patterson; O’Nien, Batth, Wright, Cirkin; Evans (Simms 71’), Neil (Embleton 61’); Pritchard (Michut 61’), Clarke, Amad; Dajaku (Roberts 60’)
Unused subs: Bass, Matete, Hume
Luton XI: Horvath; Bell, Lockyer, Potts; Campbell (Bradley 71’), Lansbury (Freeman 30’), Clark, Bree; Doughty (Cornick 70’), Adebayo (Jerome 85’), Morris (Ruddock-Mpanzu 70’)
Unused subs: Berry, Isted
Attendance: 10,060