SUNDERLAND have been relegated from the Premier League after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

With Hull City claiming a goalless draw at Southampton, Joshua King’s 88th-minute strike confirmed the Black Cats’ demotion to the Championship after a ten-year stay in the top-flight.

Confirmation of the club’s relegation saw abuse directed at both manager David Moyes and owner Ellis Short from the stands, but in truth, most supporters had already regarded a bottom-three finish as an inevitability.

Sunderland crash into the Championship in a state of considerable disarray, and while this afternoon’s performance was hardly their worst of the campaign, they have now failed to score in nine of their last ten matches, a statistic that highlights the extent of their failings.

Moyes made four changes from the side that lost at Middlesbrough on Wednesday, the majority of which were enforced because of injury.

With Fabio Borini returning on the right-hand side and Steven Pienaar coming back into the heart of midfield, Moyes also switched formation, lining his side up in a 4-4-2 system with Victor Anichebe partnering Jermain Defoe.

Bournemouth came into the game on the back of a 4-0 thrashing of Middlesbrough, and the visitors initially threatened to continue in the same vein as they dominated possession in the early stages.

Adam Smith set up King in the sixth minute, but the in-form Cherries striker could only shoot straight at Jordan Pickford from the edge of the area.

Sunderland’s first opportunity came in the 11th minute, but while Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc could only parry Borini’s vicious swerving effort, Defoe was unable to hit the target with the rebound.

The first boos were audible in the 12th minute when John O’Shea dallied in his own penalty area and almost conceded possession to Charlie Daniels, but a sparse crowd remained relatively subdued throughout the first half as Sunderland gradually grew into the game.

Defoe side-footed over a neat one-two with Wahbi Khazri, but Bournemouth could not have gone closer to making a breakthrough midway through the first half.

King cut in from the left-hand side, and while his floated effort beat Pickford, it rebounded off both the crossbar and post before rebounding into the grateful goalkeeper’s arms.

Marc Pugh shot straight at Pickford shortly after, but it was not one-way traffic, with Sunderland also creating their fair share of opportunities.

Defoe hit a long-range effort wide after Anichebe nodded Pickford’s long clearance down to him, and the England striker threatened again shortly before the half-hour mark when he beat the offside trap to meet Didier Ndong’s looped header, only for his instinctive first-time volley to be directed straight at Boruc.

That was Sunderland’s best chance of the half, but it was Bournemouth who ended the opening period on top, and they would have headed into the interval in the lead had it not been for two excellent interventions from Javier Manquillo.

The Sunderland full-back blocked Benik Afobe’s goalbound effort, and was in the right place again moments later as he cleared King’s follow-up effort from the goalline.

The visitors were the first team to threaten at the start of the second half, with Pugh shooting just wide after shuffling the ball onto his right foot in the area, but Sunderland continued to carry a threat themselves and Borini would have forced a breakthrough had it not been for a fine save from Boruc.

Defoe played the Italian into the right-hand side of the area, but his angled shot across Boruc was pushed away by the Bournemouth goalkeeper.

Lamine Kone headed Khazri’s cross over the bar as Sunderland continued to commit men forward, and Moyes made his first change in the 55th minute as he brought on youngster George Honeyman for Steven Pienaar.  

Honeyman is a member of Sunderland’s highly-regarded Under-23s squad, and the youngster almost made an immediate impact as he swivelled to hit Borini’s reverse pass in the area, only for Boruc to produce another smart save.

Tensions boiled over with 15 minutes as Borini slid into Lewis Cook from behind, sparking a melee that eventually involved all outfield players. Borini was booked for the foul, and Harry Arter also received a yellow card for his response.

Sunderland went close when Donald Love fired in a shot that was pushed to safety, but the sucker punch that confirmed relegation came with two minutes left.

A slick Bournemouth counter-attack caught the Sunderland defence flat-footed, and when Ryan Fraser squared from the right-hand side, an unmarked King was left with the simple task of rolling the ball home at the back post.

Chants of “We want Moysie out” and “Are you watching Ellis Short” rang around the Stadium of Light, with the ground emptying quickly after the final whistle.

Sunderland (4-4-2): Pickford; Love, Kone, O’Shea, Manquillo; Borini, Ndong, Pienaar (Honeyman 55), Khazri; Anichebe, Defoe.

Subs (not used): Mannone (gk), Lescott, Djilobodji, Embleton, Gooch, Januzaj.

Bournemouth (4-4-2): Boruc; A Smith, S Cook, Francis, Daniels; Fraser, L Cook, Arter, Pugh (Mousset 82); Afobe (Stanislas 57), King.

Subs (not used): Allsop (gk), B Smith, Mings, Ibe, Gradel.