The hosts, who are playing in the English top-flight for the first time since the club's relegation in 2017, are a point above fifth-placed Aston Villa, which hosts Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday (AEDT).

"We always keep fighting for each other until the very end and that's what we did today," Brian Brobbey, who scored the winner for Sunderland, said.

Bournemouth went two goals up within 15 minutes, with Amine Adli firing home after Evanilson's shot came off the post and Tyler Adams catching Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs off guard with a long-range strike from the centre circle.

But Sunderland, who held league leader Arsenal with a last-gasp equaliser in its previous home game, smelled another comeback opportunity when Bournemouth's Alex Scott brought down Granit Xhaka in the box, handing the hosts a penalty.

Enzo Le Fee scored from the spot to get Sunderland back in the match on the half-hour mark and the hosts equalised in the first minute of the second period as Granit Xhaka's perfect through ball set up Bertrand Traore's left-foot finish.

Brobbey's precise header from Le Fee's corner put Sunderland ahead in the 69th minute, and it was the visitors' turn to fight with their backs to the wall on a cold afternoon as the hosts' supporters relentlessly shouted them down.

Bournemouth almost got even in the 87th minute, but Marcus Tavernier's curling effort came off the bar. The visitors' fate was sealed when Lewis Cook got sent off in added time after he stuck out his elbow in a desperate attempt to rein in Reinildo Mandava.

Sunderland, which has won four of its seven league games at home, visits Liverpool on Thursday (AEDT).

Bournemouth, also unbeaten at home, remains winless on the road since August and slipped to ninth on the table before Wednesday's (AEDT) home game against Everton.