If Southampton believed they had cracked the Championship, a rethink is required. They arrived in the north-east trailing a record of three wins and one draw from their opening four games but as they boarded the plane carrying them back to the south coast talk of an immediate Premier League return must suddenly have seemed fanciful.
With Pierre Ekwah, the scorer of two fine goals, outstanding in midfield, Sunderland’s own indifferent start to the season was forgotten. When, after 53 seconds, Jack Clarke connected with Trai Hume’s cross and promptly headed Sunderland into the lead, Tony Mowbray remained impassive. Rather than celebrate, the home manager merely took a few sips from the water bottle placed at the edge of his technical area.
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