STOKE, England - A last-minute penalty by Jermaine Defoe rescued a valuable point for Sunderland in its 1-1 draw at midtable Stoke in the English Premier League on Saturday.

Sunderland is in 18th place, one point behind Newcastle but with a game in hand.

Stoke took the lead through Marko Arnautovic after Peter Crouch's knockdown on 50 minutes.

Sunderland's equalizer came in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Defoe converting a penalty after he was fouled by Geoff Cameron.

Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce said: "It is a very precious point and in the end the referee was brave and good enough to make the right decision for us."

With just three games of its season to go, Sunderland could need wins rather than draws as it fights with Newcastle and Norwich to stay in the league.