The key talking points after Sunderland are relegated - plus reaction from David Moyes

With Hull City claiming a point at Southampton, the Black Cats are now 13 points adrift of safety with just four games remaining, and will spend next season in the second tier after their ten-year stay in the Premier League came to an end.

What were the main talking points from the Stadium of Light?

DOWN AND OUT

Relegation has looked on the cards for a number of weeks now – today was the day when the club’s fate was finally sealed.

After a succession of narrow escapes, the Black Cats’ luck has finally run out. There is a long list of people to blame, but owner Ellis Short and manager David Moyes, who were roundly abused in the final stages, must shoulder the vast majority of the responsibility.

Short has overseen a succession of disastrous decisions, and remains desperate to sell the club, with the latest accounts showing £110m of debt. Moyes was placed into a difficult situation when he agreed to replace Sam Allardyce, but he has unquestionably made it worse.

Sunderland’s fate was sealed when Joshua King scored the only goal of the game with two minutes left, and the decisive moment was fittingly grim. The Black Cats were sliced wide open as Bournemouth poured forward on the break, and King was completely unmarked as he rolled home Ryan Fraser’s cross.

WHERE WERE THE FANS?

There is anger amongst the Sunderland fan base – but today’s events suggest there is also a large amount of apathy, and that could be even more damaging as the club looks to rebuild in the Championship.

The official attendance was given as 38,394 – the club’s lowest league gate of the season – although it looked as though there were far fewer fans actually inside the ground.

It has become commonplace for clubs to count all season-ticket holders as part of their attendance figure, whether they actually come through the turnstiles or not, and Sunderland can expect vastly-reduced gates in the Championship.

This is a fan-base that is weary and fed up after years of battling against the drop – re-energising them and getting them back on side will be one of the toughest tasks facing whoever is in charge at the start of next season.

CAN MOYES CARRY ON?

Prior to King’s winner, the abuse directed at Moyes had not been on the same scale as the chanting that was audible at Middlesbrough on Wednesday. That changed when Sunderland’s relegation was confirmed though, and a large number of fans clearly do not want the Scotsman to be leading the rebuilding project next season.

Will he walk away? He was hinting at it during his pre-match press conference on Friday, but remained non-committal in the wake of this afternoon’s game.

If he stays, he faces a huge task to repair his relationship with the supporters, and if things do not go to plan at the start of next season, the atmosphere will remain toxic with Moyes in charge.

Short and chief executive Martin Bain clearly do not want to change their manager, but their hand could be forced. Moyes is not the only person to blame for what has happened this season, but he has undoubtedly contributed to the shambolic campaign that sees Sunderland heading towards the second tier.

AN ABSENT OWNER

Moyes has spent the last two matches listening to the fury of the Sunderland fans – Short, on the other hand, remains an invisible figure, staying away from the Stadium of Light.

That is a major issue, as it suggests the Irish-American has given up the fight and is more interested in ensuring debts do not escalate rather than assembling a squad that is capable of restoring Sunderland to a position that most fans would regard as their rightful place.

Relegation will see Sunderland lose around £75m in television income, and while a £44m parachute payment and a series of relegation clauses within players’ contracts will ameliorate some of the financial impact, there will be a meltdown if Short does not continue to fund the shortfall.

For as long as he remains in charge, Sunderland will remain financially reliant on Short. He remains keen to sell the club, but having failed to find a buyer in the Premier League, there is little chance of him securing an acceptable deal now he is presiding over a Championship club.

MANAGER’S COMMENTS:

Sunderland manager David Moyes said: “I hoped it (relegation) would never come around. I’m disappointed for the supporters, disappointed that we couldn’t give them more. They come here in their thousands week in, week out, and travel in their thousands as well.

“I know that cash isn’t easy in this part of the country, so I appreciate every penny they put into the club by watching their team. My thoughts are with them, and I’m just sorry that we weren’t able to do a better job.

“I don’t think this is the time to offer a reason. I think maybe in a couple of weeks’ time, I can sit down with you and we can talk about it. I think today would probably be the wrong time to make snap reasons about why that has been the case.

“I’ve managed in the Championship before, but again, I don’t think today would be the right time to talk about that. We’re more concerned with the people who follow the club, and they’re obviously disappointed, just as we are as well.

“Today’s performance won’t get many lines, because the performance doesn’t really matter, only the result and what’s happened to us, but the team made four or five opportunities and played well.

“We had nine players injured and another one suspended, and we had to change, and you’d have to say they played as well as they could. There’s no criticism of the players, or their effort or commitment. They went right to the end to try to get a result today.

“I’ve said near enough from the start that I’m experienced, and I know what a Premier League team looks like, I know what a Premier League squad looks like, and I’ve felt like we’ve been short of a little bit of quality to try to make that difference.”

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said: “We’re delighted with the result, which is all important at this stage of the season. We weren’t so happy with the performance, but to get to the 40-point mark is all important.

“I have sympathy for (Sunderland) as a football club. David is an outstanding manager and they will come back from this. I thought their fans were great today.

“We’ve really come from the depths of nowhere to the Premier League and are loving every second of it. We’ve done it our way and I think our model has been quite unique, but we’re delighted with how we shape up.

“Look at the size of the clubs we’re competing with week in, week out. The Premier League is so unforgiving. It’s such a competitive league, and the small margins decide every game.

“We want to finish as high as we can. We know that until it’s mathematically done, we’re still looking over our shoulders.”

LINE-UPS:

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.