Sunderland climbed into the automatic promotion places for the first time since November despite being held at home by Burton Albion.
The Black Cats fell behind when former Burton man Tom Flanagan deflected a Marcus Harness shot into his own net inside the first 20 minutes.
But Jack Baldwin headed home from a corner to level less than 10 minutes later.
Sunderland hit the woodwork twice – once through Charlie Wyke and then again through Grant Leadbitter – in the second half as they pushed for a winner.
And on another day Wyke might have had a hat-trick, seeing one clear-cut chance saved by the keeper in the first half and putting another into the sidenetting just before the interval.
It was anything but one-way traffic, however, and Burton had plenty chances of their own with Jon McLaughlin called upon to make two excellent stops, while Baldwin cleared off the line in the second half.
Sunderland had started the evening level on points with Barnsley and this point was enough to see them overtake the Tykes and go second in the table, and they still have game in hand of the South Yorkshire side.
Jack Ross made three changes to the side that started the weekend win at Rochdale, only one of which was forced upon him due to the hamstring injury Lynden Gooch picked up at Spotland.
George Honeyman – who scored the winner against Dale – replaced Gooch.
The other two changes saw Bryan Oviedo start his first league game of 2019, taking Denver Hume’s place at left-back, while Leadbitter returned to midfield after sitting out the last two games and he replaced Max Power.
Power was on the bench and came on inside the first half-hour when Dylan McGeouch went off through injury.
Burton boss Nigel Clough stuck with the same side that beat Sunderland’s promotion rivals Barnsley at the weekend.
Sunderland settled well in the early stages, with Wyke heading narrowly over the bar, before Will Grigg spun away from Jake Buxton and racing into the area only to see his low shot parried by Brad Collins and scrambled clear.
But Burton also offered a threat on the counter, particularly through Harness down the left, who caused Luke O’Nien problems.
Harness cut the ball back from the byline to Liam Boyce but the striker could only blaze over the bar from six yards.
And on the quarter-hour Harness cut into the box from the flank and saw his shot saved by McLaughlin, although the keeper needed two attempts to grab hold of the ball.
The opener came on 19 minutes and inevitably Harness did the damage, although the move started when Jamie Allen dispossessed McGeouch in midfield and released the wideman.
Harness got into the penalty area down the left and his cross-shot hit Flanagan, with the ball changing direction completely and leaving McLaughlin no chance as it found the left side of the net.
But the Brewers’ lead lasted only eight minutes, however, before Baldwin headed down and in from Leadbitter’s corner to put the Black Cats back on terms.
And Sunderland should have hit the front 10 minutes before the break when a cross from the right went under the foot of Buxton and came all the way through to Wyke at the far post four yards out, but he directed his shot straight at the keeper who could not believe his luck.
Sunderland almost put through their own net for a second time a couple of minutes later but this time Baldwin was relieved to see his block on Stephen Quinn’s shot go wide.
There was another chance for Wyke in injury-time at the end of the first half but at full-stretch he could only touch Oviedo’s cross into the sidenetting.
Sunderland’s sloppiness at the back continued in the second half and McLaughlin had to spread himself to make a crucial block from Boyce after Flanagan had lost the ball as he tried to bring it out of defence.
And minutes later Baldwin had to clear off the line, again from Boyce, when the striker managed to steer a finish past McLaughlin from a tight angle.
Wyke had another great chance to put his side in front midway through the second half when Leadbitter’s chip into the box found him goalside of the defence, but his powerful first time shot on the turn clipped the top of the crossbar and went over.
The game could have gone either way in the final 20 minutes with Flanagan sending a header straight at the keeper from a set-piece, while the Black Cats hit the woodwork for a second time when Leadbitter crashed a shot against the base of the right-hand post with Collins rooted to the spot.
But at the other end a combination of pressure from Flanagan and another vital block from McLaughlin was needed to stop Harness when he was through on goal.
Sunderland pushed hard for a winner in the latter stages but they could not make their pressure count and had to settle for a draw which ended their three-game winning streak in the league, but which extended their unbeaten run to 19 league games.
Sunderland 1-1 Burton
SUNDERLAND: McLaughlin, O’Nien, Flanagan, Baldwin, Oviedo, Morgan (Kimpioka 82), McGeouch (Power 29), Leadbitter, Honeyman, Wyke, Grigg (Sterling 67). Subs not used: Ruiter, Ozturk, Dunne, Hume
BURTON ALBION: Collins, Brayford, McFadzean, Buxton (McCrory 90+5), Daniel, Quinn, Harness (Fox 77), Akins, Allen, Fraser (Wallace 86), Boyce. Subs not used: Bywater, Bradley, Hutchinson, Clarke
BOOKED: Fox
REFEREE: Scott Oldham (Lancashire)
ATTENDANCE: 29,513
