CONFIRMED DEPARTURE;Sunderland Afc reveals the replacement of goalkeeper due to what happened earlier

Sunderland were beaten 3-0 by Coventry City on Saturday afternoon after a hattrick from Haji Wright

Ahead of this game Régis Le Bris had warned his players that ‘disaster’ awaited if they felt they could coast towards their likely play-off tilt.

This, presumably, was pretty much exactly what he meant.

Sunderland were comprehensively outplayed, outthought and outfought by a superb Coventry City side – with a fresh injury to Dennis Cirkin only compounding a woeful afternoon for the Black Cats. Sunderland’s position in the table means this does not have be a disastrous afternoon in their season or call for panic, but there is no doubt that concerns growing about the form and freshness of the squad heading into the run-in.

Sunderland had been completely outplayed in the first half, the kind of 45 where the only positive you could take was that they were still somehow just about in the contest.

There had been one or two brief positives, Eliezer Mayenda had looked dangerous and held up the ball well in the rare moments where Sunderland found him, while there was some determined last-ditch defending from Luke O’Nien in particular around his own box. There was little else to encourage, Sunderland well off the pace and beaten to just about every second ball.

Phil Smith’s player ratings after Coventry City defeat.

Though they had been beaten by Derby County in midweek, Coventry had come into the game in excellent form and the contrast in intensity between the two teams was stark. One looked as if it was coasting, the other playing as if everything was on the line.

Sunderland sat off the game, too passive and inviting the hosts to dictate the game. Their passing was slack, preventing them from getting up the pitch.