MAN UNITED 2, SUNDERLAND 2

IT'S no longer even a surprise, let alone a shock. Manchester United getting a late result at Old Trafford in controversial circumstances seems to be the norm these days.

And Steve Bruce will have certainly seen it all before.

But that doesn't make it any easier to accept.

His Sunderland side were deservedly leading with 85 minutes on the clock and heading for a seismic victory.

Then came two of the rashest decisions of the season.

The first came from ref Alan Wiley - producing a ridiculous 85th-minute red card for former United ace Kieran Richardson - to give the hosts hope.

The second was by Sunderland's Anton Ferdinand two minutes into time added on - the centre-half inexplicably lunging back towards his own goal to try to block a Patrice Evra shot that was heading wide.

In doing so, he scored United's undeserved equaliser.

Undeserved because the Premier League leaders were second best from start to finish, strangely disjointed and unco-ordinated.

Every bit as bad as Sunderland were good.

But, yet again, United got out of jail.

And, once again, Wiley was involved.

Yes, that's right, the same Alan Wiley you just might have seen laughing and joking on the touchline with Sir Alex Ferguson a fortnight ago when Michael Owen scored United's winner against arch-rivals City in the 96th minute.

That caused consternation in some quarters.

And Wiley will be under scrutiny again for this performance, especially after the two yellows to Richardson.

Wiley's first caution for the Sunderland wing-back came in the 28th minute and was debatable.

The second was laughable.

Richardson was harshly pulled up for a foul and could barely believe it.

He pleaded his innocence and then kicked the ball backwards to where the supposed offence was committed.

It was not the most sensible of acts by Richardson but this was not a petulant punt of the ball halfway down the pitch.

But Wiley clearly viewed that as dissent and reached for his cards.

Now you'd accept it if Wiley was as strict and no-nonsense with everyone else.

OK, he booked Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher.

But he only lectured loose cannon Wayne Rooney for a wild off-the-ball hack on Andy Reid.

You tell me which is the more serious offence, the one that deserves a fitting punishment.

You're right - and Wiley was wrong.

That didn't save him from a blast from wily old Fergie afterwards.

The Old Trafford boss surely knew the ref would be given stick for 'favouring' United so he gave him a tongue-lashing of his own to try to redress the balance and deflect attention away from a woeful performance and the loss of two precious points.

It also stifled a debate on Ferguson's own role in all of this. He made seven changes for this game - and within seven minutes United were behind.

Darren Bent took full advantage of their uncertain start to snatch a shock lead but, in truth, a deserved one with a clinical finish into the bottom corner.

Watching England boss Fabio Capello must have been impressed.

Not just by Bent's goal either, because Sunderland were very good value for the lead.

Few teams go for the jugular at Old Trafford - but the Wearsiders did and they got their reward.

The only question was whether they could keep playing such bold, open, attacking football with such impunity.

Mind you the early signs looked good, very good. United's passing was awful, their play lacking cohesion and any imagination.

So much so that it took them fully 27 minutes to test the keeper - Craig Gordon saving comfortably from Nemanja Vidic of all people. After that only a wild appeal for a penalty - for handball against Reid - caused any further alarm in the visitors' defence before the break.

So Sunderland maintained the lead and their supremacy to the break.

And that prompted Ferguson into making yet another change.

The out-of-sorts Scholes failed to re-appear for the second half, replaced by Anderson in the heart of the United midfield.

This was a change that worked.

The young Brazilian was quickly clattering into tackles and surging forward to energise the previously lethargic home side.

And, within six minutes, United were level.

Sunderland rebuffed their first thrust with Gordon beating out Rooney's shot from a Nani cross and Ferdinand hooking the ball away. But only to John O'Shea who immediately returned it from whence it came and there was Dimitar Berbatov to produce a scintillating scissor kick to equalise in style.

We all expected the long-awaited United onslaught.

All except those from Sunderland who had other ideas.

Richardson: Red carded

And, sure enough, Bruce's boys stunned Old Trafford for a second time by regaining the lead.

What a goal it was too.

The sort of goal normally only scored here at the Theatre of Dreams by the home side.

Reid was again the inspiration.

He skipped away from Fletcher's ugly two-footed lunge and played a neat one-two with Bent before dinking a terrific ball in for Jones to attack.

And attack it he did, bursting beyond Vidic and powerfully out-jumping Foster, who ended up in a heap on the deck, to head home imperiously.

What could United muster?

Not a lot.

Centre-half Jonny Evans almost connected with a Nani cross and Rooney saw a goalbound shot deflected wide. Mind you Evans was the hero moments later though - preventing a third Sunderland goal that would surely have put the game beyond United.

Sunderland sub Jordan Henderson, on for the exhausted Reid, raced down the right, picked himself up after O'Shea's desperate foul and, with Wiley waving "play on", cut in along the by-line.

Henderson picked out Steed Malbranque in the box who rolled the ball towards Jones for a tap-in.

But Evans came to the rescue, flying in full length to toe-poke the ball away at the very last minute.

What a tackle, what an escape but just how important it was would only become apparent later in the game.

Richardson's red card gave United renewed hope and the four minutes of added time meant they actually had nine minutes against 10 men at Old Trafford.

But would it be enough to save the day?

It didn't look like it when Vidic headed high over the bar from close range and then sub Michael Carrick dragged a late shot wide.

But Old Trafford was in uproar two minutes into stoppage time when Evra's desperate late shot was turned into his own net by the rash Ferdinand.

Salvaging a point was celebrated like a victory by the United faithful, even in such dubious and fortunate circumstances.

However it may not feel like cause for celebration later today. All eyes are now on Stamford Bridge.

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