Attendance: 32,242
Sunderland’s opening fixture of the 2015-16 Barclays Premier League season ended in bitter disappointment as Dick Advocaat’s side fell to a 4-2 defeat at Leicester City.
The Black Cats made a positive start at the King Power Stadium with Jermain Defoe, Younes Kaboul and Seb Coates testing Kasper Schmeichel, but a 14-minute spell saw the home side race into a 3-0 lead with Jamie Vardy’s deft header opening the scoring on 11 minutes.
Man of the match Riyad Mahrez added a second seven minutes later before quickly notching a third from the penalty spot after Cattermole brought the Algerian in the box, and the shell-shocked Black Cats never recovered despite goals from Jermain Defoe and Steven Fletcher either side of Marc Albrighton’s well-taken strike.
Advocaat named three new recruits in his starting XI with Coates lining up alongside former Tottenham Hotspur captain Kaboul, as Jeremain Lens was tasked with providing attacking support to lone striker Defoe.
Sunderland should have opened the scoring in the opening ten minutes spurning three opportunities as goalkeeper Schmeichel kept the Black Cats at bay.
Defoe was first to be denied as the ball cannoned around the box before falling to the striker who was thwarted by Schmeichel, with Kaboul’s header and Coates’ follow-up saved moments later.
With 11 minutes played the deadlock was finally broken but it was the Leicester supporters making the noise, as Vardy’s innovative header flicked beyond the reach of Costel Pantilimon and nestled into the corner of the net.
Two minutes later it should have been two for the home side as Shinji Okazaki was unable to convert from close range, but the Black Cats’ relief was short-lived as another wave of attack on 18 minutes saw Leicester double their lead.
Once again it was simple for the Foxes as an excellent cross from Albrighton was met by Mahrez, who towered above Kaboul and Coates to power the ball past the helpless Pantilimon.
Sunderland needed a response and they needed one fast but with 24 minutes played their misery was compounded, as Mahrez weaved his way into the box and was brought down by Cattermole.
The Algerian international stepped up to take the resulting penalty and made no mistake.
Further chances fell for the home side as they continued to bombard Sunderland’s weary backline, with Pantilimon denying Vardy and Danny Drinkwater before Mahrez fired over the top.
The second-half continued in a similar fashion and it was once again Mahrez tormenting the Sunderland defence, as the Algerian danced into the area and clattered the post minutes after clipping the ball inches wide.
The winger then forced Pantilimon into a point-blank save with the Romanian also denying Vardy, before hope was briefly restored thanks to Defoe’s first goal of the season after a neat through ball from Adam Johnson.
Defoe then forced Schmeichel into a low save but as the Lads piled forward Leicester exploited the space, and Marc Albrighton capatalised on a defensive lapse to make it 4-1 after 66 minutes.
Steven Fletcher reduced the deficit with 19 minutes remaining after tenacious work from new signing Lens, but it proved to be too little too late for the Black Cats who returned to Wearside empty-handed.