Liverpool suffer Black Cats defeat

The £10million striker's fifth-minute shot was deflected past keeper Pepe Reina by a beach ball which had been thrown on to the pitch, although the Reds' protests were in vain.

Bent might have collected at least a hat-trick on a day when Rafael Benitez's injury-hit side were nowhere near their best, although keeper Craig Gordon had to make a fine double save in injury time to deny Dirk Kuyt and then substitute David Ngog.

With the injured Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres missing, Liverpool were a shadow of their usual selves and Sunderland, sensing an opportunity, could have been out of sight by half-time.

Bent might have completed a hat-trick but headed a 22nd-minute Andy Reid cross straight at Reina and then glanced Phil Bardsley's driven ball wide of the far post seven minutes before the break.

Reina kept his side in it with 55 minutes gone when he blocked Bent's effort after the striker had run onto Kenwyne Jones' pass and rounded him.

The goalkeeper needed the help of the woodwork six minutes later after Bent capitalised on more poor defending but saw his shot come back off the foot of the post.

Managers Steve Bruce and Rafael Benitez became embroiled in an angry touchline spat as the injured Kenwyne Jones was treated at length on the pitch before, like Lee Cattermole minutes earlier, leaving on a stretcher.

Benitez threw on strikers Andriy Voronin and David Ngog in a desperate effort to rescue a point and, deep into seven minutes of stoppage time, Gordon then made a fine double save from Kuyt and Ngog to deny Liverpool an undeserved point.