A MOMENT of madness from Yann M’Vila proved costly for Sunderland as Southampton left the Stadium of Light with three points courtesy of a narrow 1-0 win.

The Black Cats are now four points shy of fourth from bottom Newcastle, who claimed an important win at Bournemouth, after failing to improve their Premier League fortunes once again.

Sam Allardyce had looked for Sunderland to be a tighter defensive unit and he will have been encouraged by aspects of that side of the game, having kept a dangerous Saints team at bay for the majority of the 90 minutes.

But M’Vila’s rush of blood to dive in to Ryan Bertrand with 21 minutes remaining gifted Southampton a penalty, which Dusan Tadic converted with style.

Sunderland never looked like posing much of a threat to the Southampton goal and had very little to shout about with the exception of an Adam Johnson free-kick which curled a yard over.

Allardyce suggested he would scrap the three centre-back system that was used in last weekend’s 6-2 defeat at Everton and he did just that, with Sebastian Coates partnered by Younes Kaboul at the back – and it worked to a degree.

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Kaboul and Ola Toivonen were the returning players pitched straight back in to the starting line-up, while Fabio Borini had to start on the bench. The game came too soon for John O’Shea, whose hamstring problem needs more time, while Lee Cattermole was missing.

Allardyce – knowing Sunderland had kept just one clean sheet so far this season - wanted to make his team tighter and they did prevent Southampton from scoring in an opening 45 minutes which was certainly far from being a Stadium of Light classic.

The best two chances of the half fell to the Saints, with Costel Pantilimon denying Dusan Tadic and Sadio Mane with strong stops. Mane had earlier missed the target when he side-footed wide at the back post from an unmarked position.

Sunderland failed to trouble Martin Stekelenburg at all during that initial period. On the occasions they did threaten the visitors’ defence it tended to be by using Duncan Watmore’s speed and energy down the left.

It was the 21-year-old’s first start for Sunderland and he was full of intent to try to impress and he did lift the atmosphere by trying to beat his marker initially. Southampton, though, never really looked in any real danger.

Sunderland, who took until after the opener before registering a first testing shot on target, did brighten up going forward after the restart when Borini was introduced for Toivonen, but they still struggled to test Stekelenburg in the Southampton goal.

And had it not been for the head of DeAndre Yedlin, who bravely cleared off the line when Mane threatened to get on the end of Jose Fonte’s near post flick on, then Sunderland would have been behind earlier.

Moments later Coates also made a brilliant goalline clearance when Steven Davis’ low shot from 12 yards beat everyone and was heading for the net when the defender raced across to clear.

The danger signs were there but Sunderland looked solid and Allardyce looked happy enough, but then M’Vila dived in needlessly when the ball was heading towards the byline and Bertrand hit the deck in the 69th minute.

Referee Mike Jones pointed to the spot and Tadic powerfully picked out Pantilimon’s left corner to put Southampton ahead, which prompted the introduction of both Jack Rodwell and Jermain Defoe.

After that Sunderland tried a couple of things but without any real conviction and defeat number eight of this latest season of Premier League struggle arrived.

Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Pantilimon; Yedlin, Coates, Kaboul, Jones; M'Vila, Gomez (Defoe 76); Watmore, Toivonen (Borini 46), Johnson; Fletcher (Rodwell 70). Subs: Mannone, van Aanholt, Brown, Lens.

Southampton (4-2-3-1): Stekelenburg, Yoshida, van Dijk, Fonte, Bertrand, Davis, Clasie (Romeu 78), Tadic (Caulker 90), Ward-Prowse, Mane (Juanmi 83), Pelle. Subs: K Davis (gk), Soares, Martina, Seager.