Coventry 3-1 Sunderland: 10-men Black Cats Disgraceful In Shocking Defeat

Sunderland have now entered crisis this season with their 3-1 defeat to newly-promoted Coventry City on Saturday afternoon, seeing Regis Le Bris' side remain bottom of the Premier League table.

The Black Cats entered the afternoon in rejuvenated form, with last weekend's goalless stalemate against Leeds United and the 3-2 midweek Carabao Cup win over Brentford, but the remnants of those positive results were missing at the CBS Arena.

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto opened the scoring after an error at the back from Sunderland, with Taiwo Awoniyi doubled Coventry's lead with a low rifled finish, before Jack Rudoni added insult to injury with his deflected shot before Enzo Le Fee netted a consolation penalty.

Coventry enjoyed some early pressure and possession, with their intense start leading to midfielder Victor Torp leaving one on Chriss Rigg with a hefty challenge which saw the Coventry man booked by referee Simon Hooper.

Sunderland had their first shot on target courtesy of Rigg, who was slipped in after some fantastic hold-up play by Brobbey, but struck the ball straight down the centre of Carl Rushworth's goal, who held with ease.

On the 16th-minute mark, Coventry took a shell-shocking lead after an embarrassing defensive moment from Sunderland, with Trai Hume's failed clearance attempt ricocheting off Luke O'Nien into the path of Sakamoto, who fired a wonderful low curled effort into the bottom corner of Robin Roefs' net to open the scoring.

Coventry's opener was Sunderland's sixth goal conceded so far this season directly from an individual error, a puzzling yet damning statistic which highlights how much the Black Cats' defensive rigidity under Le Bris from last term has dropped off.

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Minutes later, Granit Xhaka slipped Brobbey in behind the Sky Blues backline, but the Dutchman unfortunately dragged his shot wide of Rushworth's post.

Another Coventry player found himself in Cooper's book, with Yann Gboho leaving a full-blooded late challenge on Hume in a 50/50 to continue the early intensity.

Torp almost doubled Coventry's lead from a free-kick, seeing Roefs on hand brilliantly to deny the midfielder from range and keep Sunderland's deficit to one goal.

After 36 minutes, Coventry made it two, after yet another individual defensive error from Sunderland.

O'Nien lost possession in a grave error, allowing Lampard's side to pounce as Awoniyi doubled their lead after driving into the Black Cats' box unchallenged and firing across Roefs into the bottom corner, leaving Sunderland once again to blame themselves.

Half-time beckoned, seeing Sunderland circles on social media enter meltdown, and rightly so for the shocking performance, with every Black Cat level below the standards and expectations they set last season.

Five minutes into the second half, it was three. Rudoni's effort from outside the box was deflected after Omar Alderete lazily stuck a leg out, and the ball trickled past Roefs to send the CBS Arena stands into raptures.

The first sign of a Sunderland comeback came and went, with substitute Chemsdine Talbi firing wide with his opening moment after fast-paced work with fellow sub Wilson Isidor.

Minutes later, a lengthy VAR check ensued after O'Nien's shot was handballed by Ethan Pinnock in the Coventry box, granting the Black Cats a spot-kick, which Enzo Le Fee emphatically dispatched past Rushworth to bring one goal back.

Sunderland continued to press for a second, with O'Nien once again in the thick of action in Coventry's box, with a dangerous strike on Rushworth's goal blocked commendably by the athletic Stephen Mfuni.

Alderete was sent off in injury-time to compound Sunderland's misery after picking up two yellow cards in quick succession to see Hooper give the out-of-form defender his marching orders and end yet another disgraceful performance from the Paraguyuan. 

As the referee blew for full-time at 3-1, boos chorused from the away end in the CBS, and rightly so following Sunderland's substandard, shocking, and crisis-inducing defeat, which keeps Le Bris' side rock bottom and winless in their last seven league outings.

Now, the inquest will begin from the Sunderland hierarchy as to how Le Bris can resurrect his side's season, or whether his time as Black Cats boss is coming to a sad close.