A crunch League One promotion clash ended in deadlock as Peterborough and Sunderland battled out a 1-1 draw at the Weston Homes Stadium.

Second-placed Posh kicked off two points ahead of the visitors and that’s exactly the way it remained  in front of the TV cameras.

The two sides battling to climb into the Championship traded second-half goals with substitute Siriki Dembele’s opener for Posh cancelled out by a piece of Aiden McGeady magic.

Dembele classily stroked a left-footed finish past Black Cats keeper Lee Burge in the 66th minute following a fine Nathan Thompson pass.

Burge superbly denied Sammie Szmodics a second goal with a smart stop from a tight angle and that proved to be a vital contribution as Sunderland clawed themselves back onto level terms.

McGeady struck with a terrific 25-yard free-kick in the 81st minute that flew past Posh keeper Christy Pym.

Sunderland then finished strongly and came closest to a dramatic winner when Posh defender Mark Beevers sliced a cross against his own post in the 90th minute, but the points were shared.