Enzo Le Fee converted a late penalty to earn Sunderland a 1-1 draw at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, denying the hosts all three points after Vitaly Janelt had given them the lead.
Brentford broke the deadlock just before the hour mark when Janelt found the top left corner with a composed finish. It looked set to be the winning goal — but VAR intervened in the 82nd minute to confirm that Keane Lewis-Potter had held Wilson Isidor inside the box, and referee Thomas Bramall pointed to the spot.
Le Fee stepped up and drove the ball into the bottom right corner to bring the sides level, rescuing a share of the spoils for his side.
Sunderland's strong start
It was Sunderland who had started the better of the two teams, deploying a back five and creating the more threatening moments in the opening stages. Dan Ballard thought he had broken the deadlock early on, only for his goal to be ruled out because of Kevin Danso being offside on his debut. Le Fee then rattled the post with a fierce volley from range in the 20th minute.
Andrews reshapes Brentford at the break
Brentford manager Keith Andrews made a bold triple substitution at half-time, withdrawing Michael Kayode, Mamadou Sangare, and Dango Ouattara and introducing Aaron Hickey, Yehor Yarmoliuk, and Anthony. The changes injected new energy into the Bees going forward, and it was that renewed drive which led to Janelt's opener just after the hour.
However, Anthony's tap-in that appeared to restore Brentford's advantage in the 70th minute was also ruled out — this time for a foul on goalkeeper Roefs — keeping the door open for Sunderland's equaliser.
Unbeaten but frustrated
The result means Brentford remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season and have climbed to fifth, but it is now the second successive week they have conceded a late goal to surrender a lead, having also drawn 1-1 at Leeds United in their previous outing. A draw felt a fair outcome for both sides, given the momentum shifted between the two teams throughout a competitive contest.
