Team news:
Greg Halford failed a late fitness test so Dean Whitehead wasmoved to the right-bacl position.
Ross Wallace was preferred to Danny Collins at left-back and Nyron Nosworthy and Paul McShane were partnered in the middle of the back four.
Dwight Yorke was alongside Dickson Etuhu in the middle of the park and Carlos Edwards was fit to play.
Daryl Murphy and Anthony Stokes were chosen to lead Sunderland's attack.
There was a debut for Sunderland's £9m goalkeeper Craig Gordon, one of four playing his first League game for the Black Cats.
Matt dawson was missing for Spurs, he had an ankle injury.
Teams:
Sunderland: Gordon; Whitehead, Nosworthy, McShane, Wallace; Edwards, Yorke, Etuhu, Richardson; Murphy, Stokes. Subs: Ward, Miller, Chopra, Collins, Connolly.
Tottenham: Robinson; Chimbonda, Gardner, Kaboul, Stalteri; Malbranque, Jenas, Zokora, Tainio; Keane, Berbatov. Subs: Cerny, Defoe, Huddlestone, Bent, Rocha.