Sunderland suffered their sixth successive Championship loss, despite a short second-half rally against Southampton.

Stuart and Adam Armstrong had taken his team a 2-0 lead following a poor first-half performance from Sunderland, and while Romaine Mundle and Jobe Bellingham momentarily tied the game, a brace from substitute Joe Rothwell sealed the three points for the hosts.

Here’s the game’s storyline and significant talking points from a Sunderland perspective…

SUNDERLAND LEAVES THEM WITH A MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB.

Sunderland began with the intention of taking the game to Southampton, pressing high and marking man-for-man all over the field, earning several early turnovers as Jenson Seelt and Dan Ballard pursued their teammates into midfield. Mason Burstow had an early chance to score after being recalled to the starting lineup, but his shot went wide of the far post.

 

 

Southampton, on the other hand, took the lead within the first 10 minutes as Seelt interfered to stop a potential counter-attack and concede a free kick. There appeared to be little danger when Jobe rose to head it clear at the back post, but he could only nod across goal and into the path of Bednarek. Patterson saved his header brilliantly, but Stuart Armstrong responded quickly and hooked home from a few yards out.

Even then, any belief looked to fade, as Sunderland were second best all over the pitch for an extended length of time. A succession of possession errors allowed Southampton, who were barely getting out of first gear, to create a number of chances, with another Armstrong shot deflected just wide, then Adam Armstrong blasted over from a great position. Seelt then had to step in to prevent Che Adams from scoring from close range, with a second goal seeming inevitable.

 

SUNDERLAND GET CLOSE, BUT HOME SIDE DOUBLES THEIR ADVANTAGE.

Sunderland were also rewarded for a rare excursion forward when Hume’s cross found Burstow, whose shot from a restricted angle struck the post and bounced clear. The visitors were unable to capitalize on that promise, falling further behind when Rigg tripped Ryan Manning, who showed his expertise by drawing the foul as he cut back inside from the byline. Sunderland were sure that Adam Armstrong had first touched the penalty with his standing foot after sliding, but the referee left the goal to stand after consulting with the linesman.

 

If there was some debate over the goal, it is also fair to say that the scoreboard more than accurately reflected the balance of play in the first half. Sunderland had offered practically little and allowed their opponents several opportunities to score.

 

Subs have an immediate impact.

 

Sunderland began the second half much like the first had finished, trying to create a real impact on the game. On the hour mark, Dodds resorted to his bench, inserting Adil Aouchiche and Nazariy Rusyn, the former of whom was extremely unlucky not to start the game following his impressive cameo in midweek.

Sunderland’s performance improved immediately as a result of Aouchiche’s eagerness to go forward, which pushed his team up the pitch and put Dan Neil in more dangerous situations. Neil had been Sunderland’s best player by far, and he was rewarded for gaining control high up the pitch when Romaine Mundle pounced on the ball and rifled a shot off the inside of the post.

Rusyn smashed an attempt into the side netting shortly after, and the game’s dynamic turned completely.

 

JOBE SCORES A SCREAMER, BUT SOUTHAMPTON QUICKLY RESTORES THEIR ADVANTAGE.

 

Sunderland experienced another setback when Dan Ballard sustained an injury and was forced to leave the game after initially trying to play through the agony. Fortunately, that did not deter the Black Cats, who were rewarded for putting Southampton under pressure near their own goal. The hosts turned it over, and Jobe scored a fantastic goal, looping a shot from the edge of the box into the far corner, leaving Bazunu with no chance.

The Black Cats continued to push high up the pitch, and while there were indications of hope, the hosts were quickly able to regain their lead. when breaking through the press, Armstrog was able to drive towards goal, and when Hjelde stopped his cross, replacement Rothwell rifled home the rebound.

Rothwell scored again seconds later with an almost similar attempt, while Armstrong’s shot was cleared off the line by Hume but touched in from a few yards out. Sunderland’s short resurrection ended nearly as swiftly as it began.

 

SUNDERLAND’S ALARMING SLIDE CONTINUES.

Sunderland showed great tenacity and passion in the closing stages of the game, but they were heavily thrashed in the end. Though they are closer to the bottom three than they were at the start of the day, they are currently eleven points below the top six, and the season is virtually over from there.

It’s been a dreadful spiral that shows no signs of slowing down; numerous facets of this performance, particularly the first half, were far from suitable for a Sunderland side at this stage. Six consecutive losses is absolutely unacceptable.