A convincing win at the Stadium of Light as Sunderland AFC came out 5-0 winners against Southampton in the Sky Bet Championship.
A quick start from the Lads saw Jack Clarke head home Trai Hume’s header after 52 seconds before Pierre Ekwah made it two with a long-range effort just five minutes later.
The French midfielder had his second and Sunderland’s third of the afternoon just before the break with another superb individual effort before Bradley Dack grabbed the fourth three minutes into the second half with a close-range finish.
The game was sealed in the final moments after some brilliant individual skill from Bennette resulted in a cross to the back-post and Chris Rigg was on hand to head home the fifth.
Not even two minutes on the clock and Sunderland took the lead. A quick counterattack from the Southampton corner found Ba breakdown the left-side, switch the play over to Hume who put a cross on a plate for Clarke to head home in front of the South Stand.
The Lads flew out the blocks and just five minutes later Tony Mowbray’s side had their second! Ba once again involved cutting the ball back to Ekwah who took one touch out his feet and fired home past Bazunu.
The best chance of the first half for the visitors came a third of the way through the game, Will Smallbone picked the ball up just outside the area before smashing the ball wide of the mark and into the side netting.
Five minutes from time, the Black Cats should have had a third. Bradley Dack’s free kick was parried out by Bazunu and Cirkin couldn’t find the finishing touch in-front of goal.
Just a few moments later, Ekwah was at the double with a bit of skill to go past his man, onto his left-foot and firing into the bottom corner.
The second half started as the first finished. Sunderland’s attacking threat was once again too much for the Saints. Dack’s initial header was saved by Bazunu who parried the ball out to the right-side. Ba picked up the ball and crossed for Dack to make no mistake and grab Sunderland’s fourth and his first goal of the season.
Substitute Luis Hemir came close to grabbing the fourth. The former Benfica man twisted and turned inside the area before seeing an effort deflected just past the post with 20 minutes left to play.
A fantastic fifth finished off a brilliant afternoon in the 94th minute. Bennette picked up the ball on the left-side before producing three sublime roulettes before putting in the cross for 16-year-old Chris Rigg to head home and become Sunderland's youngest ever league goalscorer.
Three points on the board and Mowbray’s side go into the international break now three unbeaten. The Lads travel to QPR on Saturday 16 September.
Sunderland AFC: Patterson, Hume, O’Nien, Ballard, Cirkin, Neil, Ekwah, Clarke (Bennette 81), Ba (Rigg 81), Jobe (Pritchard 62), Dack (Luis Hemir 62).
Substitutes: Bishop, Huggins, Hemir, Taylor, Bennette, Pritchard, Seelt, Triantis, Rigg.