The Terriers took the lead after just three minutes as Ben Cabango turned Jaheim Headley’s cross into his own net.
Swansea dominated after conceding early on but struggled in the final third until Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino netted in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage-time to earn his side a point.
But many home fans jeered Duff after the full-time whistle, with Swansea now winless in five matches.
“They (fans) are showing their frustration,” said Duff. “I think in the cold light of day, they’ve watched the same game as us.
“We haven’t won enough games at home, we get that.
“I can make all the excuses in the world but you have to win. That’s part of my job.
“You get clapped when you win and you get booed when you don’t. It is what it is.”
On the draw, Duff added: “We dominated the game, there’s no doubt about that. If we play that game 10 times, I think we win nine with the numbers we had in terms of possession, shots, opportunities – everything.
“We talked in the week about giving poor goals away and they have done nothing to score a goal. That makes it doubly difficult.
“But we have had ample opportunities to go and win the game.”
Huddersfield looked on course for back-to-back victories for the first time under Darren Moore until Patino’s late leveller.
But the draw means they have claimed five points from the nine on offer since the recent international break.
And while disappointed to concede late on, Moore believes his side are heading in the right direction.
“What I am pleased with, over the three games this week after the international break, to take five points against the calibre of teams we’ve played, taking into consideration the travel, then I’ve got to be pleased,” he said.
“I said to the boys two weeks ago, the work we did in the international break, this will carry you through the next three games.
“It shows the work we’ve done as a group and it shows we’re heading in the right direction.
“Performances have been more solid and resolute. They’re staying in the game longer and being harder to beat.
“We know we’re still short in areas. We know there’s a progress going on at the moment at the football club, both on and off the pitch.
“We need to keep focused and keep churning away and getting those points on the board.
“It would have been great to take the three points today but when we look at the course of the week, to take five points out of those games is credit to the team.”
In his first game as caretaker boss after Michael Beale was sacked earlier this week, Dodds was without injured star man Jack Clarke and made four changes as well as switching to a back three.
But it didn’t go to plan for Dodds and Sunderland, who were outplayed in the first half by Swansea and the visitors took complete control thanks to Ronald’s quickfire double.
Sunderland improved after the break and halved the deficit through Luke O’Nien but couldn’t force an equaliser.
“It didn’t work, it doesn’t take an expert to see that,” admitted Dodds.
“One thing I demonstrated last time I was in this role and that’ll I’ll keep reiterating is that while I’m in this position I’ll continue to make bold decisions. Sometimes that will be a positive, sometimes a negative.
“We’ve got to take that first 45 on the chin, me, the staff and the players. I wouldn’t have sent the players out if I wasn’t confident the message was really clear, so that’s something as a collective we all have to take on the chin.
“I know I’ve been really bold in terms of my decisions and how I’ve tried to set up, I’m not going to take all the responsibility because it’s a relationship between me and the players.”
Only three Championship players have scored more than Clarke this season and the winger was always going to be a big miss after suffering an ankle injury in last week’s defeat to Birmingham.
Dodds said: “Any team in this league would miss Jack Clarke and Dan Ballard but I won’t make excuses.
“I won’t shirk away from the responsibility of being head coach and the fact the first 45 wasn’t acceptable.”
Swansea are now four points above the drop zone after bouncing back from successive home defeats with a much-needed victory.
Boss Luke Williams said: “The first half in particular was strong. I think we were good value for the result.
“We have been seeing some really good performance markers in games but it’s difficult when the result is negative.
“We felt we were improving bit by bit and today is a big step forward.
“Ronald deserved both the goals. He’s deserved one or two more key actions in previous games. He was a huge threat. He’s so quick and direct and I’m really happy for him.
“We need now to try and improve so that we can control longer periods of the game. The opposition was brilliant in the second half and put us under a lot of pressure but on the flip side I saw the team defending well.”
Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson almost scored a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser after going up for a corner but was denied by Swansea counterpart Carl Rushworth.
Williams added: “Rushy is incredible. He’ll be a top keeper. He’ll be with us next season but after that I think he’ll be a top Premier League goalkeeper.”
The visitors claimed a 2-1 victory after falling behind to Liam Cullen’s 10th-minute opener, Mark Sykes and Sam Bell rewarding their control with second-half strikes.
The turnaround came after Bristol City felt several decisions went against them in a first half that saw them have three goals disallowed.
Pearson said: “What we talked about (at half-time) is, if we could keep our composure, we knew that we’d continue to create opportunities.
“Let’s use the frustration of it to perform. I think that’s the big thing.
“There’s no good me being in there ranting and raving because there’s nothing to rant about, apart from maybe the guy out in the middle.
“I bit my lip. It hurts a bit now! But I’m just pleased that our players got a reward for their performance.”
Bristol City have lost only one of their opening five games and are on eight points heading into the international break.
“We created a lot of chances and we have done in our away games so far,” said Pearson.
“The goal we conceded was a sloppy one from our perspective, but Swansea didn’t create too many chances in that first half.
“They went a bit more direct when they went behind and Max (O’Leary) had to make a couple of saves.
“It was a bit tighter but we felt we looked like creating chances on the counter because we’ve got pace in the team.
“You’ve got to move the ball quickly and we always felt we could get some success in wide areas. But to do that you’ve got to have the intention of getting forward.”
Swansea have yet to win in the league under new boss Michael Duff after drawing two and losing three of their opening five games.
Duff signed Bashir Humphreys, Josh Tymon, Jamal Lowe and Kristian Pedersen on Friday’s transfer deadline day and believes Swansea will be stronger when they return to action against derby rivals Cardiff on September 16.
“We’ve got four new players that will give us a better balance,” said Duff.
“There’s good competition for places now. People need to put their hands up. The season almost starts now.
“I thought we were poor. I thought we were slow, we were pedestrian, with and without the ball and we didn’t do the basics well enough.
“We started the game well on the front foot, went 1-0 up but then went passive. We gave two poor goals away.
“It’s a difficult game if you don’t do the basics properly. We didn’t get on the front foot at all, we weren’t aggressive enough.”
Dodds impressively led the Black Cats to two wins from three games during a stint in charge in December after Tony Mowbray’s dismissal and was handed the reins until the end of the season after Michael Beale’s sacking earlier this week.
But the home side were outplayed by Swansea, who eased their relegation woes with a deserved win that moved Luke Williams’ side four points clear of the drop zone.
The visitors could have been out of sight after a one-sided first-half display but Ronald’s double – the 22-year-old’s first goals since joining from Gremio in January – was enough as Swansea got back to winning ways after two home defeats.
Luke O’Nien gave Sunderland hope late in the second half but the Black Cats couldn’t force a leveller. The Black Cats have now lost three games on the bounce and their play-off hopes are fading fast.
Swansea headed for Wearside having won only one of their previous seven Championship games but threatened to run riot in a dominant first half, with Ronald’s quickfire double putting the visitors in complete control.
The Brazilian opened his account after 19 minutes when he was on hand to tap in a rebound after Anthony Patterson initially kept out a Liam Cullen header.
His second was a superb finish, taking down Joe Allen’s through ball with a neat first touch before lashing low beyond Patterson.
It could have been much worse for the hosts.
Ronald fired wide at full stretch after a sublime Allen pass and fellow winger Przemyslaw Placheta could have had a hat-trick himself.
He somehow blazed over from just six yards, hit the post with a close-range header and had a shot from the edge of the area deflected just wide.
At the other end, Sunderland offered next to nothing, their only two shots on target in the first half being tame Abdoullah Ba and Nazariy Rusyn efforts that were easily saved by Carl Rushworth.
There was a bit more purpose to the home side’s play early in the second half and Pierre Ekwah went close with a curling strike from distance that shaved the top of the crossbar before Ba flashed a dangerous drive across the face of goal.
Sunderland halved the deficit 13 minutes from time when O’Nien headed in an Ekwah cross from the left.
They almost levelled in dramatic circumstances when Patterson went up for a corner and forced a superb save by Rushworth deep in stoppage time.
The former Borussia Dortmund star is not short of suitors amid uncertainty over his future in London.
And Real Madrid are reportedly making their move.
T OP STORY – MADRID TELL ARSENAL TO DECIDE OVER AUBA
Real Madridhave set Arsenal a deadline as they look to sign star forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to The Mirror.
Aubameyang is out of contract in June 2021 and the Gabon international has been tipped to leave Arsenal.
Madrid reportedly want Arsenal to make a decision on Aubameyang's future by June 15 as the likes of Inter and Paris Saint-Germain also circle.
ROUND-UP
- Sport reports Barcelona are on the brink of signing Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic. The LaLiga giants are close to agreeing a four-year deal with the Bosnia-Herzegovina international.
- Pjanic had been mentioned in a possible swap deal with Barca's Arthur, who has previously dismissed an exit. However, Tuttosport claims Juventus have not given up on signing Arthur.
- Former RB Leipzig boss Ralf Rangnick is set to become head coach of Milan, reports Calciomercato.
- The Express says Manchester United have identified Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek as a top transfer target. Van de Beek has also been linked to Madrid and Juve.
- Madrid want Casemiro to continue at the Santiago Bernabeu, but Mundo Deportivo reports the futures of captain Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Lucas Vazquezand James Rodriguezare up in the air.
- According to The Sun, Borussia Dortmund want to sign Chelsea teenager Charlie Webster.
- Inter have set their sights on Freiburg centre-back Robin Koch, reports Tuttomercatoweb. Koch has also been linked to Napoli and Benfica.
- United are keeping tabs on Swansea City defender Joe Rodon, says The Mirror. The Red Devils have already raided Swansea previously, signing Welshman Daniel James ahead of the 2019-20 season.
The former Scotland international is expected to seal the move on Wednesday afternoon, the PA news agency understands.
He will join from Swansea as the Saints move quickly to prepare for life in the Championship.
Martin verbally agreed to take over at St Mary’s over the weekend but the clubs remained in discussions over compensation.
Martin guided Swansea to 10th in the Championship last season despite having a bottom-four budget and the youngest squad in the division.
He has been praised for his style and Southampton will be hoping the 37-year-old can guide them back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
They will finish bottom of the Premier League after a disastrous season which has seen them use three managers.
Nathan Jones replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl in November but lasted just 14 games, winning one, and was sacked in February. Ruben Selles took charge for the final months of the campaign but was unable to keep Saints up.
On Monday, chief executive Martin Semmens stepped down from his role following relegation having been in the post since 2019.
The Saints have also confirmed Selles will leave the end of the season after talks.
A statement read: “Southampton Football Club can confirm that it has held conversations with Men’s First Team Manager, Ruben Selles, and decided that his contract will not be renewed when it expires at the end of the season.
“The club wants to place on record its thanks to Ruben for taking on the managerial position at a difficult time for the club and for giving his all as we attempted to stay in the Premier League.
“Ruben will take charge of the team for the final game against Liverpool on Sunday at St Mary’s. We wish him all the best for his future career.”
Substitute Samuel Silvera struck the 77th-minute winner, whipping home a close-range free-kick after Swansea goalkeeper Carl Rushworth had been penalised for picking up Harry Darling’s back pass.
Middlesbrough led at the interval through Sam Greenwood’s composed finish, but Jamal Lowe equalised to give Swansea hope of only a third home league win this term.
Alan Sheehan took caretaker charge for the third time, with Swansea still hoping to appoint Tottenham coach Chris Davies as Michael Duff’s permanent successor.
Swansea had picked up four points from Sheehan’s two games, while Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick was seeking to arrest a decline that had brought four defeats from their last five games.
The vast majority of first-half chances fell Swansea’s way, with the hosts dominant in the early stages.
Unfortunately for Swansea, many of them fell to defenders, with Middlesbrough goalkeeper Seny Dieng grateful for their wastefulness.
Darling, fresh from his late midweek equaliser at Stoke, strode forward to ripple the side-netting and the unmarked Josh Key headed over from eight yards.
Liam Walsh soon swung over another delicious cross which Bashir Humphreys beat Dieng to, only to plant his header wide with the goal gaping.
There was brief discomfort for Swansea – and Rushworth in particular – when the goalkeeper fell heavily under Emmanuel Latte Lath’s challenge and needed treatment before being able to continue.
Further evidence of Swansea’s profligacy in front of goal came midway the first period.
Josh Tymon sent Lowe scampering into the channel behind Dael Fry and the Jamaica forward took his time to pick the right pass, squaring to Walsh whose effort went inches wide.
Middlesbrough bared their teeth for the first time as Matt Crooks set up Greenwood and his shot forced Rushworth into action at his near post.
The deadlock was broken two minutes before the break after a spell of patient passing from the visitors.
Crooks moved inside from the left to spot Greenwood’s run and a fine left-footed finish gave the on-loan England Under-21 international his fifth Middlesbrough goal.
Swansea were not deflated by falling behind and Jamie Paterson fired wide before the equaliser arrived after 59 minutes.
Tymon found space down the left to deliver a fine cross and Lowe met it with power from six yards out to give Dieng no chance.
Isaiah Jones almost restored Middlesbrough’s lead after charging through from his own half.
But Rushworth’s error allowed Morgan Rogers to tee up fellow substitute Silvera for the winner and Boro survived the stoppage-time loss of Dieng to injury to hold on for a much-needed victory.
Harrison Ashby’s effort in the 33rd minute gave the visitors a deserved lead at the break but they were poor after the break and were made to pay.
Andrew Hughes drew the hosts level before Duane Holmes struck with just over 10 minutes left to complete Preston’s comeback.
Defeat added to Swansea’s misery after losing Joel Piroe to Leeds United earlier in the week.
“I thought we were totally dominant in the first half, so in the end I’m really frustrated,” said Duff.
“We knew we’d have to tweak one or two things at half-time, so we did that and then we didn’t look enough of a threat early in the second half.
“There needs to be a mentality shift, that’s a disappointing thing – we should know that teams in this division are not just going to roll over. We definitely need to be putting teams to the sword when we’re 1-0 up.
“Some of the passes and the movement in that second half just wasn’t good enough. We gave away two quite soft goals in the end, but we shouldn’t really have been in that situation in the first place.
“It’s been a difficult week all round. We thought we were going to keep Joel and then he’s gone, and looking at it we do need to strengthen before the window closes.”
Victory extends Preston’s strong start to the new season, with three wins out of four in an unbeaten start to the campaign.
Boss Ryan Lowe was thrilled with his side’s second-half display and believes his squad, currently sitting in fifth place in the Championship, can continue to grow in confidence.
Lowe added: “The whole group has been fantastic so far this season.
“We were a little bit disappointed at half-time at being behind, but after that the attitude and application of all the lads was first-class.
“The lads are taking instructions on board and as a manager I can’t ask for more than that. We showed resilience too, which is also pleasing for me.
“The lads have got confidence. We don’t take a lot of notice of what other teams are doing, we just concentrate on going about our own business. We’re finding a way to win matches, and that’s all it’s about really.
“Every player has been fantastic in different ways. Some lads are playing in different positions than they’re maybe used to, but they’re all doing their jobs.
“I’ve told the lads to go out there and enjoy their football, and that’s what they’re doing.”
Ryan Fraser netted a brace while Joe Aribo, Samuel Edozie and Che Adams also struck to help Saints extend their unbeaten run to 16 matches, their longest stretch without a league defeat since the 1921/22 season.
Southampton, who were watched by owner Dragan Solak ahead of the January transfer window, moved up to third and are only four points adrift of the Championship automatic-promotion places.
It would have been bittersweet for Martin, who managed the Swans in 99 fixtures before switching to Saints last summer.
Swansea had started strongly. Jerry Yates met a Ben Cabango pass from a deep free-kick but fired high and wide on the slide in the second minute.
Then Bashir Humphreys found Jamal Lowe in acres of space at the back post but his attempted side-footed strike ballooned off target.
They were quickly made to pay for their lack of killer instinct as Aribo opened the scoring in the 17th minute, his first goal for 451 days, when he netted against Everton in the Premier League.
Edozie had smartly jinxed his way to the by-line before cutting back to Stuart Armstrong. The midfielder’s shot was blocked but it fell to the Nigeria international who fired in via the post.
Swansea are a rare Championship side Adam Armstrong has failed to score against, and he had two good first-half chances to remedy that.
Firstly, his effort was too tame and central to beat Carl Rushworth after a Kyle Walker-Peters pull back, before properly testing the keeper with a left-footed strike destined for the bottom corner.
Saints consolidated their lead three minutes into the second half but were indebted to a rush of blood from Rushworth to give Edozie a tap-in.
The Brighton loanee swung wildly at Nathan Wood’s back pass, missed and winger Edozie was free to back heel in for goals in back-to-back home matches.
The goal was met with chants of “get out of our club” by Swansea fans as they continued to make their displeasure at their American owners known.
Substitute Fraser made sure of the Saints victory when he curled into the top corner after Adam Armstrong had quickly turned over the ball and played it to the Scot.
Sekou Mara was a toe from sliding in a fourth before Rushworth had to bat away Walker-Peters’ near-post blast.
Fraser crashed into the roof of the net after Mara had played him in and Adams powered in after a Fraser cross to make it four and five – with 310 minutes elapsing since Saints last conceded a goal.
The highly-rated Republic of Ireland international, 27, has signed a four-year deal to become Martin’s first signing for Saints.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be here. It’s a massive club, been in the Premier League for so many years, and I’m just excited about the challenge of getting it back there.
“You’re coming to a Premier League football club that’s in the Championship, so the ambition is promotion and nothing else.
“With the gaffer coming here, knowing his style of football and how he wants his team to play, it felt like a perfect fit for me where the club and the manager lined up.”
Martin added: “Firstly, he’s a brilliant character. He’s got a real edge to him, a lot of energy and was a really important member of our group at Swansea.
“On the pitch, he’s an outstanding footballer who has a brilliant understanding of what we want. We’ve beaten competition from two clubs in the Premier League for him, which I’m really pleased about, because I thought the lure of that would make it difficult for us.”
Swansea scraped into the top six on the final day of the season as Brentford narrowly missed out on automatic promotion thanks to a second straight defeat.
The Welsh side subsequently had all the momentum coming into this home leg but struggled to capitalise on their dominance until late in a contentious clash.
Ayew headed against the post in the first half, with Rhian Brewster miscuing a simple rebound, although the Liverpool loanee made amends after the break to win a spot-kick as he was tripped by Pontus Jansson in the box.
David Raya then saved from Ayew, but Brentford's task became tougher still just a minute later as Rico Henry was controversially sent off for a lunge on Connor Roberts.
While Swansea had to wait for their breakthrough, with Brewster booked for diving in the area, Ayew thrashed in from 15 yards following a fine team move with nine minutes remaining to seize control ahead of the return fixture in London.
Lowe posted the now removed message to his personal page, with the caption “some serious idiots out there.” The issue of players being abused online has again come to the fore in recent weeks with legendary Arsenal forward Thierry Henry quitting social media to highlight the issue.
Lowe was the third Swansea player, since February, to be subjected to racist abuse on social media.
"This is the third time in space of seven weeks where one of our players has been subjected to such abhorrent messages, and we continue to call on social media companies to go above and beyond to eradicate this appalling level of behaviour from their platforms," a Swansea spokesperson said.
"Jamal has the full and unwavering support of everyone at the football club,” he added.
Lowe, 26, has scored nine goals in 41 Swansea appearances since joining the Welsh club from Wigan in August 2020. The player also recently scored on debut for Jamaica in a 4-1 loss to the United States in Austria.
The Welshman’s second of the season – a sumptuous curling strike in the 28th minute – was the perfect response to a fast Rovers start that saw Callum Brittain and Sammie Szmodics both spurn chances to put the hosts ahead.
Swansea’s Jamie Paterson should have profited from a defensive lapse early in the second half but was denied by Leo Wahlstedt and they had to show their character to weather a late Rovers storm that saw substitute Harry Leonard twice miss glorious chances.
The visitors held on to win their third consecutive game on the road and climb up to 13th, a place and a point behind Blackburn who will rue the chances missed at either end of this encounter.
Rovers missed a gilt-edged opportunity in the first minute when Tyrhys Dolan’s left-wing cross fell perfectly to Brittain six yards out but he steered the ball beyond the post.
Their dominance continued and Szmodics almost finished off a well-worked corner but though his shot beat Carl Rushworth, Jamal Lowe brilliantly cleared off the line.
Swansea looked in danger of being overrun but Cullen flashed one wide from the right soon after, before Lowe twice had the ball in the net only to be denied both times by the offside flag.
There was no reprieve in the 28th minute though as Swansea moved the ball brilliantly to Cullen on the right who cut back on to his left foot before whipping a superb strike into the far corner from 20 yards.
The visitors had a further sight of goal just before the break when they worked the ball to Jerry Yates just outside the area but his shot did not have the power to trouble Wahlstedt.
Rovers made alterations at half-time and one of the substitutes, Andrew Moran, set Szmodics up in the 54th minute but he blazed over.
Swansea should have made doubled their advantage two minutes later when Scott Wharton gifted the ball to Paterson on the edge of his own area but Wahlstedt produced a stunning save with his outstretched leg to divert behind.
The hosts looked the more dangerous as the game wore on and Leonard’s run and cross found Szmodics whose first-time strike was well held by Rushworth.
Leonard missed an even better chance in the 75th minute when Adam Wharton’s pass set him clear but he hammered wide of the left post.
A frantic finish saw Harry Darling’s 82nd-minute header cleared by Harry Pickering, before Blackburn passed up another great opportunity when Leonard met James Hill’s 90th-minute cross perfectly only to power his header straight at the grateful Rushworth.
The Welsh club had taken just two points from a possible 21 in a torrid seven-game winless run in the English second tier with head coach Michael Duff beginning to feel the heat.
But they collected all three points in south London with goals from Jamal Lowe, Matt Grimes and Mykola Kukharevych on target.
The first major chance fell to Millwall in the 17th minute, but Swansea goalkeeper Carl Rushworth kept out Duncan Watmore’s effort after the attacker had played a one-two with Kevin Nisbet to race goalwards.
Swansea struggled to create in the opening stages but took the lead in the 23rd minute. Referee John Busby failed to spot a shirt pull by Jake Cooper inside the penalty area on Jerry Yates but was alerted to the infringement by his assistant.
Lowe produced a stuttering run-up before sending Bartosz Bialkowski the wrong way with the resulting penalty to end the hosts’ hopes of a third-straight clean sheet as he scored in successive matches.
Lowe went close to a second before the half-hour mark as he latched on to an excellent crossfield pass by Ben Cabango, only for Bialkowski to claw away the attempt.
Lions boss Gary Rowett had already ditched his three-man central defence during a lacklustre opening 45 minutes and made a double change at the break, bringing on Romain Esse and Joe Bryan for Ryan Longman and Brooke Norton-Cuffy as he tried to spark more life into the hosts – instead they went 2-0 down after 57 minutes.
Some neat interplay offered an inviting opening for skipper Grimes and his 20-yard strike squeezed under Bialkowski.
Millwall had chances to reduce the deficit, but Watmore produced a tame effort from five yards out after Nisbet had bulldozed past Harry Darling.
Swansea goalkeeper Carl Rushworth tipped over a long-distance effort by Ryan Leonard and then produced a point-blank stop from Nisbet – the ball striking him flush in the face.
Home fans vented their anger at Rowett after Swansea scored a third in the 80th minute, Kukharevych headed home Josh Key’s cross from the right of the penalty area.
It sealed the visitors’ first victory on the road since a 3-0 success at Norwich in April.
Goals by Jamal Lowe, Jerry Yates and Charlie Patino ensured the dismal Owls’ wait for a win on their return to the Championship extended to an eighth game.
Wednesday fans sold out the away end, but were forced to witness a limp display from their team which saw them threaten only in very brief spells.
They called for Munoz to go at regular intervals throughout the second half as defeat became inevitable – and with just two points on the board there’s a possibility they may well get their wish in the coming days.
As for Swans boss Michael Duff, a first win of the season will, at the very least, earn him a stay of execution.
Duff was the focus of his own fans’ anger ahead of kick-off after failing to engineer a win since taking over from Russell Martin in the summer but victory lifted the mood considerably.
The mutual desperation for three points showed in the early exchanges, with feisty tackles flying in and referee Anthony Backhouse showing leniency.
Swansea lost centre-back Nathan Wood and left-wing Josh Ginnelly to injury before the interval, but were comfortably the better side up to that point.
There were early chances for Swans striker Lowe and his Wednesday counterpart Lee Gregory, but it was the hosts who took the lead in the 28th minute.
When Ginnelly got around Pol Valentin on the edge of the 18-yard box, the Owls right-back panicked and tugged him back by his shirt.
Referee Backhouse’s decision to award a penalty was greeted with few complaints from Wednesday players and Lowe made no mistake from 12 yards.
The Swans thought they had doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time through Liam Cullen, but the midfielder’s strike was ruled offside.
But Wednesday could have had few complaints had the damage been worse at the halfway mark, having faded badly after a promising first 10 minutes.
The Owls managed some possession and territory for the first time in the game up to the hour mark.
Defender Bambo Diaby came closest to equalising when he rattled the underside of the crossbar from four yards out after a Wednesday corner had been flicked to the far post.
But with the visiting fans’ anger towards Munoz intensifying, Swansea sealed victory with two goals inside four minutes.
Lowe created both. First his pinpoint pass allowed substitute Yates to side-foot home in the 64th minute.
Then a clever through-ball three minutes later sent Patino racing clear and the Swans midfielder chipped over advancing Wednesday goalkeeper Devis Vasquez into an empty net.
Patino was red-carded in the 30th minute when his foul on the Black Cats’ Pierre Ekwah earned him a second yellow card.
But while the dismissal of the 20-year-old Arsenal loanee meant Sunderland went on to dominate possession and territory, Tony Mowbray’s side could find no breakthrough.
They will return to the north east bitterly disappointed not to have taken three points, but Michael Duff’s Swans will see it as a point gained after a gritty and organised reaction to Patino’s premature departure.
The first half was open and frenetic – and dominated by Sunderland.
Numerous chances were squandered by Mowbray’s men, but they went in at half-time breathing a collective sigh of relief.
That was a result of Jamal Lowe’s failure to convert a penalty awarded in time added on by referee Robert Madley.
The official ruled Sunderland captain Luke O’Nien had pulled Swans defender Harry Darling to the floor, and pointed to the spot.
But goalkeeper Anthony Patterson’s low save to his right earned Sunderland a reprieve they could not have envisaged they would need.
Had Swansea taken the lead, boss Duff might have opted to employ an all-out nine-men-behind-the-ball operation to protect it.
Instead, his team began the second half looking as vulnerable as they had done all afternoon.
Even before the Patino incident, Sunderland were well on top.
Dan Neil and Jack Clarke gave them attacking width down either flank and Jobe Bellingham’s calm authority in an attacking midfield role kept the home side alert at the back.
A slide-rule pass from 18-year-old Bellingham which put Ukrainian striker Nazariy Rusyn clean through should have been the breakthrough for the Black Cats.
Rusyn wasted the chance, but was joined in his profligacy by Clarke and midfielder Patrick Roberts, who both should have found the net as their team poured forward.
It was no surprise that Sunderland spent much of the second half camped in the Swansea half monopolising possession.
Yet their failure to fashion clear-cut opportunities was jolting.
Full-back Trai Hume forced Swans goalkeeper Carl Rushworth to tip over the bar brilliantly in the 72nd minute and flashed a fierce shot just past the post moments later.
Other than that, there were plenty of triangular passing movements but very little in the way of penetration.
For Swansea, the encounter turned into a grim rearguard action long before the closing stages.
Duff will be proud of his players’ discipline and application, if rueing that the Swans were never realistic winners once Patino had left the fray.
With the coronavirus infection rate in the country at just under 550 cases per 100,000 people and rising, the government opted for an open-ended ban on crowds beginning with the festive season.
Earlier on Monday, Cardiff City's scheduled Boxing Day game against Coventry City in the Championship was postponed, the second consecutive Bluebirds game called off due to coronavirus cases among the squad and staff.
Several other fixtures across multiple sports also have been called off amid COVID-19 concerns.
Amid that environment, Wales economy minister Vaughan Gething announced the new restrictions late on Monday.
"Sporting events over the Christmas period are one of the big highlights of the year," Gething said in a release. "Unfortunately, the new Omicron variant is a significant development in the pandemic and could cause a large number of infections.
"We need to do everything we can to protect people’s health and control the spread of this awful virus.
"Throughout the pandemic we have followed scientific and public health advice to keep people safe. The advice is clear – we need to act now in response to the threat of Omicron. We are giving people as much notice of these decisions as we can.
"Crowds will come back as soon as possible. We want everyone to be here to enjoy their favourite sports."
In addition to league competition, the new restrictions likely will affect FA Cup play. Swansea City are set to host Southampton in a third-round tie on January 8, with Cardiff City to host Preston North End the following day.
