WELL that’s one way to respond to losing your star striker. If he was watching at home, Ross Stewart must have been tempted to hide behind the sofa. As for Sunderland’s new signings in attendance at the Stadium of Light, well they could be excused for thinking they’ve joined a team in the Champions League rather than the Championship on this evidence.

In the week Tony Mowbray celebrated the anniversary of his appointment as Sunderland boss, the Black Cats produced the best performance of his tenure so far to blow away stunned Southampton 5-0.

“Are you watching, Ross Stewart,” bellowed the jubilant home supporters as they watched the brilliant hosts race into an early two goal lead before adding a third at the end of the first half and fourth immediately after the restart. To cap off a perfect day, 16-year-old Chris Rigg scored his first league goal in the 95th minute.

“We are going up,” was also belted out from the stands. Southampton are expected to and arrived on Wearside unbeaten in their first four games. But they didn’t know what had hit them at the Stadium of Light. They had no answer to the brilliance of Abdoullah Ba and Jack Clarke on the flanks and the outstanding Pierre Ekwah, who bossed it. Clarke scored the first after just 52 seconds, Ekwah the next two before the break and Bradley Dack after the fourth just after the restart. And then Rigg got in on the act from the bench.

And Sunderland could have had even more. It was the most complete display since their promotion back to the Championship. Defensively, they shackled a side that had scored 10 goals in four games and going forward they were untouchable at times. Ba enjoyed what was undoubtedly his best display in a Sunderland shirt, having a hand in three of the goals. Clarke was a constant threat. Ekwah was immense. You could go on and on.

Sunderland made a blistering start, opening the scoring after just 52 seconds after a brilliant counter and adding a second just six minutes later.

Ba set Trai Hume away on the right, with the full-back delivering a teasing cross that was met by Jack Clarke, who ghosted in at the back post to head home from close range.

And Ba laid on Ekwah for the second, teeing up the midfielder to take aim from 25 yards and find the bottom corner. Ba could have got in on the act himself when he burst in from the right and tried to find the top corner, but the Frenchman missed the target.

Mowbray warned his side before the game of the need to “suffer” out of possession against Martin’s side and Sunderland’s players soon discovered what their boss meant. Southampton had 91% of possession in a 10-minute spell as they attempted to wrestle back some control, Ryan Manning, Will Smallbone and Sam Edozie all having efforts on goal.

But Sunderland managed that spell well, limited the away side to just one shot on target and rather than sitting deep and trying to protect their lead, pushed for a third. Cirkin had a chance when he miskicked a rebound after Dack’s free-kick before Ba failed to take advantage of an opportunity on the counter.

Ekwah then took centre-stage again. The midfielder pounced on a mistake by Mason Holgate, dropped a shoulder to find himself a yard and curled brilliantly into the bottom corner from 25 yards out.

Sunderland had no intentions of slowing down and although they couldn’t quite match the 52 seconds it took to score in the first half, they had their fourth goal within four minutes of the restart. Bradley Dack’s initial header was kept out by Bazunu but the ex-Blackburn forward poked in the rebound.

Sunderland managed the game well from that stage and kept Southampton at arm’s length. They could have had another goal when late substitute Hemir was played in on goal but Bazunu saved well. The fifth goal did arrive in the last minute of stoppage time when Rigg headed in a cross from fellow substitute Jewison Bennette.