Sunderland are still searching for their first win of the season having been beaten 3-0 by West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns this afternoon.
The Baggies, who also went into the Premier League contest without a win, took the lead in the 20th minute when Stephane Sessegnon reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the area to slot home on his debut against his former club.
Sunderland were forced to play the last 15 minutes with 10 men when Steven Fletcher went off with a shoulder injury moments after manager Paolo Di Canio had made his third and final change of the day.
West Brom took immediate advantage of their extra man, doubling their lead within two minutes when Liam Ridgewell steered a half-volley home.
Morgan Amalfitano then added the icing on the cake for the hosts as he drilled a powerful low effort into the far corner from a tight angle late on.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at what exactly went wrong for Sunderland and what went right for the Baggies.
Match statistics:
West Brom:
Shots 13
On target 4
Possession 52%
Corners 5
Fouls 9
Sunderland:
Shots 7
On target 0
Possession 48%
Corners 6
Fouls 10
Was the result fair?
Yes. Sunderland started the match well but, from the moment West Brom took the lead in the 20th minute, they looked like they would go on to win the game. Sunderland had a couple of decent chances with the score at 1-0 that may have changed the course of the match had they been converted, but overall the Black Cats did not deserve anything from the match. They failed to threaten Boaz Myhill in the West Brom goal and always looked second best in the midfield battle.
West Brom's performance
Much better from their previous performances this season. It was not a perfect display by any means, but it was certainly a start. It took them a while to get into the match, but their goal gave them the confidence that had previously been missing and they began to control the game. Their midfield dominated, with Youssouf Mulumbu putting in an especially good performance in the middle of the park. They did not necessarily need a good performance today as the number one priority would have been to win, but their display will have pleased Steve Clarke no end.
Sunderland's performance
More of the same from Sunderland as things go from bad to worse for Di Canio. His side started well enough but really fell off the boil when they went behind. Di Canio may point to a couple of missed chances that would have changed the game, but the truth is that his side were second best for large periods of the match today. Lady Luck was certainly not on their side with Fletcher's injury, which came a matter of minutes after their final sub of the day had been made, but the most telling statistic from the match is zero shot on target. You cannot win matches if you do not hit the target - it's as simple as that.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Morgan Amalfitano: The vast majority of West Brom's attacks went down their right flank and through Amalfitano, who had a hand in all three goals. His cross forced the deflection that led to the first goal, while he set up Ridgewell's and scored the third himself with a fine finish. He was constant threat on the wing all game and deserved his goal late on. Mulumbu deserves a mention for his midfield performance, but Amalfitano was the biggest difference between these two sides today.
Biggest gaffe
Nicolas Anelka has never been renowned for his heading ability, and he showed exactly why in the 68th minute. He was unmarked at the back post and had a relatively simple header that could have given his side a 2-0 lead, but he barely got anything on the effort and the deflection from a defender actually took it closer to the goal.
Referee performance
Phil Dowd had a good game this afternoon, getting pretty much every decision right. His biggest call was probably awarding a corner, rather than a penalty, when Jozy Altidore claimed for a handball in the area. It was Altidore's shot that was blocked by Jonas Olsson, and the replays showed that it was a very good decision from the referee as it hit the defender's chest.
What next?
West Brom: Next up for the Baggies is a League Cup third-round clash with Arsenal at The Hawthorns on Wednesday.
Sunderland: Sunderland will also be in action in the League Cup, although their match against Peterborough United will take place on Tuesday.
Barney Corkhill
