Sunderland 5-0 Southampton: Black Cats thrash Saints at Stadium of Light

Southampton's unbeaten start to the Championship season came crashing to an end as Russell Martin's side were blown away 5-0 by brilliant Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland fans taunted Ross Stewart after the injured striker's Deadline-Day switch to Saints as Tony Mowbray's side built on a dream start and stunned the visitors.

Jack Clarke scored the opening goal after just 52 seconds before Pierre Ekwah added a deflected second six minutes later.

The outstanding Ekwah scored his second and Sunderland's third on the stroke of half-time. Bradley Dack added a fourth early in the second half before 16-year-old substitute Chris Rigg rounded off a perfect afternoon with his first league goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

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The win means Sunderland - who signed four players on Deadline Day, including Chelsea loanee Mason Burstow - are now unbeaten in three games.

In the week boss Mowbray marked his first anniversary as boss, the Black Cats delivered their best performance of his tenure so far.

A fine opening goal inside a minute set Sunderland on their way. Abdoullah Ba found Trai Hume on the right and the full-back delivered a teasing cross that was met by winger Clarke, who ghosted in at the back post to head home.

Ba was again involved in the second six minutes later. After a Jobe Bellingham cut-back, the winger, only in the team because of the injury to Patrick Roberts, who Southampton tried to sign this week, teed up Ekwah on the edge of the box and the former West Ham midfielder found the bottom corner from 25 yards.

After their nightmare start, Southampton settled down and tried to get a grip of the game. In a dominant 10-minute spell, Martin's side had 91 per cent of possession but failed to find the goal they needed after the horror opening.

Rather than sit back and soak up pressure, Sunderland then pushed for more goals.

The third came in the 45th minute when Ekwah pounced on a mistake by Southampton debutant Mason Holgate and curled into the bottom corner from 25 yards out.

Southampton made two substitutions at the break, introducing Che Adams after his Deadline-Day move to Wolves fell through and Newcastle loanee Ryan Fraser. But the changes did not have the impact Martin had hoped for and within four minutes of the restart Sunderland had their fourth.

Gavin Bazuna saved well to keep out a header from Dack but the home side kept the ball alive and the former Blackburn man poked home from close range.

Sunderland put the icing on the cake in the 95th minute when Rigg headed in a cross from fellow substitute Jewison Bennette.

The managers

Sunderland's Tony Mowbray:

"The result is important for the team and the spirit.

"It's been a tough week in the build-up to it in terms of speculation around a lot of our players. In training yesterday, there were rumours about certain clubs looking at certain players and it disrupts young footballers.

"I can see them talking to each other, and yet they showed great professionalism today. We all turned up and did what we hoped we could do.

"I'm happy with the day and happy for the fans. On paper this is a really difficult game. I looked at their squad on the back of the programme and just saw name after name after name of really experienced high quality footballer.

"We have some extra attacking players now and they might watch that game today thinking how do they get in that team, but that's OK because competition drives all footballers."

Southampton's Russell Martin:

"I feel really sorry for the supporters that came, they were amazing right to the end and we have to make sure this is the toughest day we have and we have to learn from that.

"Initially it's really difficult to analyse because I'll have to watch it back, but when you concede two goals early it completely changes the complex of the game.

"The one thing we spoke about is starting well. It's a young team at Sunderland and when the wind is in their sails they're very good but when they have a difficult start they can then find it tough to get the game back

"But the game just went for them. They had momentum after their start, brilliant momentum and we didn't have enough of that.

"Everything they did well - they fought, they came out on top of duels, they worked so hard - we didn't, we went in self-preservation mode, which I think is still a hangover from last season.

"It's the first defeat but the manner of it really hurts."

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