Regis Le Bris's side had a chance to move into the top half and reduce the gap to sixth place from four points, but the draw means it could be five adrift by the end of the weekend.

The match at Molineux started positively for Sunderland, with Nordi Mukiele heading them in front from Granit Xhaka's corner in the 17th minute.

However, Ballard was deemed to have pulled Tolu Arokodare's hair when they vied for the ball and referee Paul Tierney dismissed him after reviewing footage on the pitchside monitor.

Rob Edwards switched his Wolves to a back four for the second half and it was a move that quickly paid dividends thanks to Santiago Bueno heading them level within nine minutes of the restart.

Robin Roefs made impressive saves to keep Matheus Mane and Adam Armstrong at bay, but Wolves left themselves exposed as they searched for a winner.

Had substitute Wilson Isidor not woefully controlled a long ball from Roefs in the final 10 minutes, he would have had a chance to beat Wolves goalkeeper Dan Bentley in a one-on-one situation.

That was a wake-up call for Wolves, but they failed to complete the turnaround with Arokodare kneeing an effort over the top moments before the final whistle in a golden opportunity.