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Sunderland - Swansea settled for a point in a lacklustre goalless draw at Sunderland on Saturday which saw Angel Rangel given his marching orders and the hosts still searching for their first win.
The Welsh outfit had come to the Stadium of Light four points behind leaders Chelsea, but playing the final ten minutes with ten men they are now six points adrift after the Londoners 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
Spanish right back Rangel saw red after 80 minutes after picking up his second yellow card for bringing down William Buckley.
Sunderland, meanwhile, are still searching for their first win of the season after a fifth draw in six league games.
Black Cats manager Gus Poyet handed Buckley and Billy Jones Premier League starts after impressing despite their League Cup defeat against Stoke in midweek.
Vito Mannone, Lee Cattermole, Sebastian Larsson and Connor Wickham also returned for the hosts, with Wickham having the first effort on goal after three minutes.
But Wickham again missed a chance to seal maximum points for the first time this season when he was picked out unmarked by Larsson with 16 minutes left, only to lift his header over the bar.
In a game of few clear-cut chances, the home side enjoyed the better of them with keeper Lukasz Fabianski on his toes before the break.
But apart from Wickham's chance and late efforts from Larsson, Steven Fletcher and Ricardo Alvarez, there were few efforts on goal, as the visitors stood firm.
