Sunderland 0 Southampton 4: Manolo Gabbiadini bags brace as Saints put Black Cats to the sword

If there is a small smidgeon of comfort for Sunderland after this demoralising defeat, it is that it is probably too early for them to launch their latest instalment of the Great Escape anyway. After all, the Black Cats do not normally claw themselves out of the bottom three until April at the earliest.

Manager David Moyes is taking his players on a team building trip to New York on Monday, the city that never sleeps, which is just as well as he will have a few restless nights pondering how a team so impressive in beating Crystal Palace away the previous weekend, could lose so meekly to Southampton at home.

It is a familiar dance on Wearside, one step forward, followed by one step back. Having raised hopes and expectations by thrashing Palace, they have been crushed again by a familiar name.

Sunderland 0 - 1 Southampton (Manolo Gabbiadini, 30 min)

Sunderland used to rejoice whenever Gabbiadini got his name on the scoresheet, but their former hero Marco is now 49 and runs a bed and breakfast in York. The damage here was done by Saints’ new £14m signing from Napoli, Manolo. He now has three goals in his first two games since his January move and looks like another inspired signing.

There is still time for Sunderland to haul themselves clear of the drop zone, but this was alarmingly bad, particularly in the second half, as the Saints were able to play the final 45 minutes as though it was a training game.

Sunderland had actually played some good football in the opening 20 minutes, but as attractive as they looked, they did not make it count.

Adnan Januzaj had a shot deflected wide, Seb Larsson was almost played in by a nice first touch pass from Darron Gibson and for once Jermain Defoe’s touch inside the area let him down after a surging run from Januzaj had split the Saints defence.

It was encouraging but the optimism disappeared. Southampton should have taken the lead when Gabbiadini was played in behind the home defence, but, held up by goalkeeper Vito Mannone, he crossed instead for Soares Cedric to shoot wide from edge of the area.

It was a let off that Sunderland failed to take advantage of and they were behind minutes later when a wicked cross from Ryan Bertrand was anticipated at the near post by the run of Gabbiadini. The Italy international was followed by Lamine Kone, but the centre-back was a fraction too slow, the ball skimming off his head on to the arm of the striker and in.

Sunderland 0 - 2 Southampton (Manolo Gabbiadini, 45 min)

It was a devastating blow and Southampton – who had lost six out of their last seven in the league – doubled their lead before half-time. And this time it was all about the skill and balance of Gabbiadini, who collected the ball inside the area, spun in between and away from Kone and John O’Shea and rolled a shot behind the startled Mannone.

There were boos for Sunderland as they left the field and anger in the eyes of manager David Moyes. Having won at Crystal Palace the previous weekend, this was a chance to climb out of the bottom three for the first time since August that was slipping through his fingers.

Sunderland 0 - 3 Southampton (Jason Denayer, 89 min)

Moyes brought on an attacking midfielder, Steven Pienaar, for a defender, O’Shea, but little improved and Gabbiadini could have grabbed his hat-trick, beating a static Billy Jones to a cross from Dusan Tadic at the far post, but his volley was straight at Mannone.

Sunderland barely landed a blow on Southampton in the second half and the home stands began to empty with more than 10 minutes left to play. It said it all. There was no hope of a comeback.

Sunderland 0 - 4 Southampton (Shane Long, 90 + 2 min)

Fear and loathing has returned, at least until the spring, the misery completed when Jason Denayer turned a cross from Nathan Redmond into his own net with two minutes left and Shane Long turne.d an embarrassing win into a rout in stoppage time after combining with James Ward Prowse