*Sunderland are still searching for their first win of the Premier League season after earning a point through Jeremain Lens’ second-half strike.*

The Black Cats led when Yann M’Vila curled a superb 20-yard free-kick into the top corner.

Villa hit back almost instantly when Lee Cattermole needlessly barged over Scott Sinclair, who calmly converted a low penalty before tapping in a second.

But Lens earned a draw for his side when he steered in from close range.

Villa dominated the final half-hour with skipper Micah Richards going closest to netting the home side’s third goal, somehow diverting the ball wide from inside the six-yard box.

Sunderland’s attacking forays were rare after Dutch winger Lens’s equaliser, while Villa felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Spanish substitute Carles Gil - who was booked for diving - tumbled under a challenge from Younes Kaboul.

With West Brom earning their first win at Stoke, Sunderland dropped to the bottom of the Premier League table, while Villa moved up to 12th.

Sunderland’s defence continues to leak

Sunderland’s disappointing pre-game Premier League form - two defeats and a draw - was largely down to the generosity of their defence.

The Black Cats had the worst defensive record in the top-flight after conceding eight goals in their opening three matches, with poor organisation and sloppy individual errors blighting their defeats by Leicester and Norwich.

Dick Advocaat’s side tightened up against Swansea last weekend, but were the architects of their own downfall at Villa Park when Cattermole bundled over Sinclair just 137 seconds after Sunderland took the lead.

However, they defended resolutely after the break - led by experienced centre-backs John O’Shea and Younes Kaboul - to keep out Villa and earn their second successive draw.

Hope for Villa’s long-suffering home fans

Villa registered just five Premier League wins at home last season - with only Sunderland and relegated Burnley faring worse.

They have won 17 of their 71 league games at Villa Park since December 2011, losing 35 times and averaging less than one point per match during that period.

But there were signs of encouragement for the home fans as Tim Sherwood’s side showed plenty of attacking vibrancy against Sunderland.

French full-back Jordan Amavi particularly impressed with his marauding runs down the left flank, while Scott Sinclair’s sharp movement and Rudy Gestede’s imposing presence caused problems for the away defence.

However, the big worry for Villa - the second-lowest scorers last season and now without Christian Benteke - is where the goals will come from against better defences than Sunderland.

Man of the match

Scott Sinclair is taking on Villa’s scoring burden, moving his tally to five goals in his last two matches against Sunderland and Notts County.