Goals:

1-0: Lundstram (36, side-footed a first time finish inside Ruiter’s bottom left corner after Duffy’s clever pass)

2-0: Stearman (58, dived unmarked to head Duffy’s corner in off Ruiter’s left hand post)

3-0: Baldock (62, coasted in from the right to power an O’Connell delivery beyond Ruiter)

Bookings: Wilson (51, foul); Oviedo (58, foul); Basham (77, foul)

Sending-off: None

Referee: Peter Bankes (Liverpool) – not even the man in the middle can be blamed for this sorry performance. 7

Attendance: 30,668

Entertainment: **

SheffU Sund

Shots on 4 0

Shots off 6 7

Corners 6 0

Fouls 12 11

Offsides 3 1

SHEFFIELD UNITED (3-4-1-2): Moore 6; O’Connell 8, Carter-Vickers 6, Stearman 7; Baldock 7, Basham 6, Lundstram 7, Stevens 6; DUFFY 8 (Carruthers 74); Clarke 7 (Lavery 82), Donaldson 7 (Lafferty 89). Subs (not used): Thomas, Sharp, Wright, Blackman (gk).

SUNDERLAND (5-3-2):

5 Ruiter: Can’t be blamed for the goals he conceded but still guilty of being part of a losing team;

4 Matthews: Couldn’t get going and wasted a couple of deliveries down his side

4 Browning: Gave the ball away a couple of times and unable to build on a positive start

5 O’Shea: Caught out a couple of times and has played a lot more football recently than many expected

4 Wilson: Started promisingly but then caught out more as the minutes wore on before the Blades too control

4 Oviedo: Made some stupid decisions on the ball and conceded a couple of daft free-kicks;

5 GIBSON: Given the runaround by Duffy in the middle but could have done with more help in there

4 Honeyman: Unable to influence things despite getting through his usual amount of work

4 Gooch: Ran around plenty but wanted too much time on the ball far too often;

4 McGeady: Had a couple of wayward shots that came to nothing when he could have done with impressing;

5 Vaughan: Won his share of headers but far too isolated and hardly got a touch in and around the box

Subs:

Asoro (for Gooch 67): Unable to make his mark. 5

McManaman (for Honeyman 79)

Maja (for Vaughan 79)

(not used): Steele (gk), Jones, Love, Embleton.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Mark Duffy – ran the show from the moment the game started until he was given a breather with quarter of an hour remaining; exactly what Sunderland lack.