Injured All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen sat out Tuesday's nil-all draw between his 10-man Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland at Ewood Park.
Blackburn's new captain, the defender Christopher Samba, was shown a red card just before half-time but the hosts hung on for the point in a desperately disappointing game.
It's Sunderland's fifth straight Premier League draw and sixth in eight Premier League matches.
Both sides remain in the bottom half of the table with nine points.