Enzo Le Fee scored a late penalty as Sunderland fought back to secure a 1-1 draw against Brentford.
The French midfielder kept his composure from the spot with eight minutes remaining, sending Caoimhin Kelleher the wrong way after Keane Lewis-Potter was penalised for holding substitute Wilson Isidor inside the area.
Vitaly Janelt had earlier given Brentford the lead with an excellent second-half strike after Sunderland dominated much of the opening 45 minutes.
The result keeps Brentford unbeaten this season, although the Bees will be disappointed to have surrendered another winning position.
Sunderland, meanwhile, avoided what would have been their second defeat of the campaign.
Sunderland thought they had taken an early lead when defender Dan Ballard produced an impressive finish, only for the goal to be ruled out following a lengthy VAR review.
Officials determined that new signing Kevin Danso was in an offside position and interfering with Kelleher's line of sight.
Le Fee then went close to breaking the deadlock when his powerful effort struck the woodwork as Sunderland continued to control proceedings.
Despite spending plenty of time around Brentford's penalty area, the visitors were unable to turn their dominance into a goal before half-time.
Brentford manager Keith Andrews responded decisively at the interval, making three substitutions.
Jaidon Anthony, Yehor Yarmolyuk and Aaron Hickey were introduced in place of Dango Ouattara, Mamadou Sangare and Michael Kayode.
The changes immediately gave the hosts greater energy and attacking threat.
Brentford eventually broke the deadlock in the 57th minute.
Nordi Mukiele headed Mikkel Damsgaard's cross away, but the clearance fell to Janelt, who produced a superb strike that spun into the top corner.
Anthony later thought he had doubled Brentford's advantage after capitalising on hesitation from Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs.
However, referee Thomas Bramall ruled that Anthony had kicked the ball out of the goalkeeper's hands, with VAR supporting the decision.
Sunderland gradually worked their way back into the contest, with Isidor's introduction in the 64th minute providing a greater attacking presence.
Their persistence was rewarded when Lewis-Potter was caught holding Isidor inside the penalty area, leaving the referee with little choice but to award a spot-kick.
Le Fee stepped forward knowing he had missed a penalty in the same fixture last season, attempting an unsuccessful Panenka during Sunderland's 3-0 defeat.
There was no repeat of that mistake.
The midfielder opted for a straightforward finish this time, confidently sending Kelleher the wrong way to earn Sunderland a deserved point.
Andrews' bold half-time changes transformed Brentford's performance and almost proved enough to secure all three points.
Sangare, who had impressed during the opening two Premier League games following his move from Lens, struggled to make his usual impact and was also carrying a first-half yellow card.
Anthony immediately offered more attacking threat after his introduction, while Yarmolyuk was involved in the build-up to Janelt's opening goal.
Brentford remain unbeaten and have also maintained their impressive home record, having not suffered defeat on their own ground since February.
However, their inability to protect leads is becoming an early concern.
The Bees have now dropped four points from winning positions in their opening three matches.
They also conceded late in a draw against Leeds after beginning the campaign with victory over Tottenham.
If Andrews can address that issue, Brentford will have every reason to believe they can build on last season's ninth-place Premier League finish.
For much of the second half, Sunderland appeared likely to regret their wastefulness before the interval.
Regis Le Bris' team recorded 25 touches inside Brentford's penalty area during the opening 45 minutes but struggled to turn their territorial dominance into clear opportunities.
Ballard's disallowed goal and Le Fee's effort against the woodwork were the closest they came.
Brentford's triple substitution appeared to catch Sunderland off guard after the restart, and the visitors needed time to regain control after Janelt's opener.
Isidor helped change the momentum, while deadline-day arrival Malik Fofana also made his Sunderland debut from the bench and could provide additional creativity in the weeks ahead.
Ultimately, it was Le Fee who delivered when Sunderland needed him most.
The midfielder now has 12 league goal involvements since the beginning of last season, scoring six and providing six assists – more than any other Sunderland player during that period.
After losing their opening game against Ipswich before beating Fulham, Sunderland have now added another valuable point to their encouraging start to the season.
