NEW Year; same old Brad Friedel. For the second time in four days, Blackburn Rovers' 'Mr Dependable' came to his side's rescue with another penalty save that laid the foundations for this hard-fought victory at ice-station Ewood Park.

Having denied Derby's Steve Howard from the spot at Pride Park on Sunday, Friedel then repeated the same trick here, brilliantly out-witting Dean Whitehead from 12 yards, just as the Black Cats dared to dream of a first Premier League away win this season.

No wonder Friedel's manager, Mark Hughes, believes the big American can play on into his forties!

For when it comes to saving penalties, the 36-year-old has few equals in the Premier League - or the rest of Europe for that matter.

This was instantly an forgettable game which will only linger in the memory because of the two penalties referee Rob Styles awarded in a chaotic four-minute spell shortly after half-time.

After Friedel saved the first, Benni McCarthy then provided Whitehead with a lesson in how one should be taken, the South African ending his 10-match goal-drought with a confidently-struck effort past Craig Gordon.

Aside from a red card for Dwight Yorke, the two penalties were about the only notable moments in a game spoilt by the near Arctic conditions.

If Rovers are to claim a top-six spot come the end of the season then it will be points, rather than performances, by which they are judged, and a haul of seven from the last three games has reignited their European charge.

Paying tribute to Friedel, a relieved Hughes said: "That's two penalty saves in two games running for Brad, and he's playing exceptionally well at the moment.

"He's having key moments for us that are enabling us to get positive results, which is what we need at the moment.

"It was a difficult game for everyone. The conditions didn't lend themselves to any kind of football being played, and it was basically a situation where we had to try to get the ball into the right areas but, in the first half, we weren't allowed to do that.

"In fairness to Sunderland, I thought they closed us down really well and stopped us playing our passing game, and I'm sure they'll feel quite aggrieved that they didn't get anything out of the game.

"But sometimes, as we know to our cost, you don't always get what you deserve and, in the end, I thought we saw the game out quite comfortably."

With a swirling wind making life difficult for both sets of players, Sunderland appeared to adapt quicker to the testing conditions during a featureless first half.

Daryl Murphy, one of three changes to the side that beat Bolton at the weekend, fired in a low drive that warmed Friedel's fingertips.

Then Kenwyne Jones, a real powerhouse of a centre-forward, brilliantly shrugged off Ryan Nelsen, before dragging a low shot dangerously across the face of Friedel's goal.

Playing into a biting wind, Rovers were guilty of giving the ball away far too cheaply, which made it virtually impossible to build any kind of momentum going forwards.

Too many balls from the back were hit in hope more than expectation.

It took Rovers almost 25 minutes to register their first effort on goal.

David Bentley, who has been in majestic form of late, curled in one of his trademark free kicks, but bent it a foot wide of Craig Gordon's right-hand post.

Another Bentley free kick from slightly further out shortly afterwards led to another chance for Roque Santa Cruz but, on this occasion, the Paraguayan, who had scored eight goals in his previous five appearances, got his bearings all wrong and his header drifted harmlessly wide of the far upright.

With precious little for the fans to get excited by, it was hardly surprising a sense of frustration began to emanate from the home stands.

When the half-time whistle arrived, it was met with a chorus of boos, the supporters making their feelings known in no uncertain terms.

Surely Rovers could not be as poor again in the second half?

The prospect of a goal was hardly enhanced by the withdrawals of Santa Cruz and Jones - the two teams' respective top scorers - both of whom failed to reappear after the interval.

But then Styles suddenly decided to raise the mercury by pointing to the spot, not once but twice, in the space of four minutes.

Sunderland were the first to benefit from Mr Styles' generosity in the 51st minute, the official interpreting Chris Samba's aerial challenge on Murphy as a foul.

However, as Derby discovered on Sunday, there are few better goalkeepers in the business than Friedel in penalty situations, and he came to Rovers' rescue once again, plunging to his left to comfortably gather Whitehead's tamely struck effort.

Galvanised by Friedel's heroics, Rovers then won' a penalty for themselves four minutes later.

Seeking to atone for his early misdemeanour, Samba fired in a volley that Danny Higginbotham blocked with a raised arm, and Mr Styles had little hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot again.

Incensed by the decision, Higginbotham and several of his colleagues harangued the man in black but to no avail.

When order was finally restored, McCarthy made no mistake, slamming the ball powerfully past Craig Gordon: 1-0.

Staring yet another away defeat in the face, Sunderland's frustrations began to boil over.

Having caught Matt Derbyshire with one late challenge that warranted a booking, Yorke then picked up another five minutes later when he cynically clipped David Dunn's heels as the midfielder threatened to burst clear, a decision that delighted the home fans.

It was a night for cool heads - and no-one was cooler than Friedel.