Saints suffer heavy defeat at Sunderland

It was a chastening afternoon for Russell Martin’s side at the Stadium of Light, as they fell a goal behind inside a minute, went 3-0 down by half-time and then only saw the score deteriorate further after the interval.

The result means Saints head into the first international break of the season with three wins and a draw from their opening five matches, which undoubtedly represents a decent start, but they will no doubt also enter it with a sense of frustration after this outing.

Martin made four changes for the game, with Mason Holgate being handed his debut following his loan signing from Everton. Holgate started at centre-back in place of the injured Jack Stephens, lining up alongside Jan Bednarek.

Mason Holgate was handed a debut for Saints (Photos: Matt Watson)

Elsewhere, fellow new arrival Flynn Downes got his first start after making a substitute appearance in the win over QPR a week previously, while Will Smallbone returned from injury to regain his place in the side and Sékou Mara earned a starting berth.

Facing a Sunderland team that had won once in their opening four matches, Saints would have been hoping to impose themselves from the off at Stadium of Light, but the opening spell proved nothing short of disastrous for the visitors, as they fell two goals behind within seven minutes.

The first goal took less than 60 seconds to arrive, as Trai Hume sent in a bouncing cross from a deep position on the right, with the delivery finding Jack Clarke who had snuck in at the back post, and he headed past Gavin Bazunu from close range.

Sunderland then doubled their lead a little more than five minutes later, this time through Pierre Ekwah, who struck a low, left-footed shot from 25 yards that arrowed into the corner, past the dive of an out-stretched Bazunu.

Saints players react a disastrous start to the game at the Stadium of Light.

More pressure from the hosts ensued, as Saints desperately attempted to avoid falling further behind, before they finally began to get a grip of the game.

Ryan Manning’s free-kick on 17 minutes, which was saved by Anthony Patterson in the Sunderland goal, kick-started a sustained period of threat from Martin’s side, who probably should have had a penalty two minutes later when Manning was tripped from behind by Bradley Dack as a cutback from Sam Edozie whistled past him in the area, but referee David Coote dismissed the claim.

Moments later, Downes sent a low ball across the face of goal that was just out of the reach of a sliding Adam Armstrong, before Smallbone hit the side netting with a low, angled effort from outside the box.

Edozie then had perhaps Saints’ best chance to that point when he drove towards the area on 22 minutes, opening up space for a shot from a central position 18 yards out, but he dragged the strike just wide of the post.

Still, it was a much more promising spell and provided signs of a potential path back into the game.

However, that route was made all the more treacherous when, in the final minute of regular time in the first half, Ekwah scored again. Once more it was a low shot from distance that found the bottom corner, as he cut onto his left foot some way out and hit a fierce strike that beat Bazunu.

Saints went into half-time trailing 3-0.

It left Saints with a mountain to climb in the second half, and Martin unsurprisingly made a couple of changes at the break, as Ryan Fraser and Ché Adams came on for Stuart Armstrong and Edozie.

Despite that, it took Sunderland just over two minutes after the restart to get their fourth of the day, as Dack was on hand at close range to tap home Abdoullah Ba’s low ball across the face of goal.

Holgate almost reduced the deficit shortly before the hour mark, as his strike from distance was fumbled by Patterson in the Sunderland goal, but it squirmed inches wide of the post, and the defender was replaced by Shea Charles soon after.

Mara was then the next change, as he was withdrawn and replaced with Joe Aribo on 72 minutes, while Charly Alcaraz made a late appearance in place of Smallbone.

But there was to be no salvaging the day for Saints, with it only getting worse right at the end as substitute Chris Rigg headed in a fifth with the last action of the game.

Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, O’Nien (captain), Cirkin, Neil, Ekwah, Ba (Rigg 82), Dack (Pritchard 64), Clarke (Bennette 81), Bellingham (Hemir 63).

Unused substitutes: Bishop, Huggins, Taylor, Seelt, Triantis.

Goals: Clarke (1’), Ekwah (7’, 45’), Dack (48’), Rigg (90'+5)

Booked: Ba, O’Nien.

Southampton: Bazunu, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Holgate (Charles 64), Manning, Downes, Smallbone (Alcaraz 82), S Armstrong (Adams 46), Edozie (Fraser 46), Mara (Aribo 72), A Armstrong (captain).

Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Amo-Ameyaw.

Booked: Mara, Adams.