Middlesbrough extended their winless streak to nine games as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sunderland in their Premier League encounter on Saturday.

Afonso Alves had put Boro in the lead on the stroke of half time but Kenwyne Jones grabbed an equalizer eight minutes from time to ensure that his side collects a vital point from the tie to maintain their place outside the relegation zone.

It was a disappointing first half for the fans as both the teams were satisfied by staying in their own half and rarely ventured forward. The visitors had the majority of possession but failed to make it pay with Jones and Djibril Cisse finding it tough to create any space up front.

With just seconds left in the half, Boro managed to take the lead when Stewart Downing passed the ball for Alves to slam home his first goal since October to put his side in the lead. It was the same story at the start of the second half with Sunderland struggling to provide a response.

Middlesbrough lost Didier Digard as the midfielder collided with Kieron Richardson and limped off the field with a concussion. The break proved to be beneficial for Sunderland who showed some urgency in their play.

The visitors finally equalized in the 82nd minute when David Healy crossed the ball for Jones to convert from six yards out. Sunderland almost took the lead minutes later when Carlos Edwards headed towards the target but Adam Johnson somehow managed to clear the ball off the line to make sure that his side collected at least a point from the tie.