Sunderland 3 Wolves 0 – Report and pictures

Relegated Sunderland were 2-0 up at half time with goal from Ovie Ejaria and Ashley Fletcher against a distinctly off-colour Wolves.

The League One-bound hosts made it 3-0 on 66 minutes when Paddy McNair fired home.

Analysis

So Wolves saved their worst for last.

After 45 games of almost unequivocal joy in what's been a season to savour, Wolves produced an uncharacteristically inept performance against a League One team in waiting, writes Tim Spiers at the Stadium of Light.

Before today Sunderland had won only two home games of 22, both of them 1-0 (against Fulham and Hull). Wolves meanwhile possessed the best away record in the league by five points, losing only four times.

Funny old game, as they say.

Their joint-heaviest league defeat of the campaign won't matter a jot in the grand scheme of things.

But it will have rang a few alarm bells in the head of Nuno Espirito Santo, who demands professionalism and work ethic from his players 100 per cent of the time, on or off the pitch.

All the pre-match talk was of ending the season on a high, reaching 100 points and beating every team in the league, but remarkably rock-bottom and relegated Sunderland will be the only team that Wolves didn't beat in their 2017/18 title-winning campaign.

From almost the first minute it looked like Wolves thought they'd been told the match was being played on Whitley Bay, with the primary attire being flip flops.

Their passing range was off, their creativity minimal and their defending slapdash.

The fringe players didn't impress and neither did the regulars. For a second game in a row Neves lacked his usual poise and composure, while there was nothing from the flanks and Costa and Jota couldn't produce any magic.

Sunderland mustered 18 shots to Wolves' seven and the margin of victory could have been greater.

All in all then a dreadfully disappointing end to the season. But it'll all be forgotten as quickly as tomorrow when the city pays homage to its promotion heroes.

The 45 games that preceded this are all that matter, not this end-of-season friendly.

Match report

Nuno made three changes to the team that drew 0-0 against Sheffield Wednesday last weekend – handing two players their first league starts of the season.

In came goalkeeper Will Norris, who had impressed in the Carabao Cup run earlier in the campaign and youngster Morgan Gibbs-White. Roderick Miranda was also handed a start with Benik Afobe dropping to the bench and John Ruddy and Willy Boly not involved in the squad.

Sunderland made a host of changes with temporary boss Robbie Stockdale looking to restore some belated pride after a shocker of season.

And the League One-bound Black Cats certainly did that in a first half when they completely outplayed the Championship champions.

In match 46 of 46 Wolves arguably saved their worst first half performance for last. If ever there was the epitome of an 'on the beach' display, this was it.

Quicker to loose balls and playing with passion, pace and pride, Sunderland created a number of chances and scored from two of them to give the half time scoreline a surreal look.

Sadly for Norris he could be looked at for both goals, which came in the 19th and 45th minutes.

The stand-in keeper blocked a regulation shot from a McNair cross and diverted it straight into the path of Ovie Ejaria who had the simple task of sidefooting home.

For the second the keeper rushed from his line and couldn't get near a bouncing through ball, from which Ashley Fletcher got his foot ahead of Danny Batth to cutely lob into the empty net.

Rock-bottom Sunderland were great value for their 2-0 lead. They had 16 shots to Wolves' measly two and had far more zip and creativity about their play.

Wolves just didn't get going. Passes went astray, runs weren't made and the defending was sloppy. Batth and Barry Douglas had to make smart blocks from goalbound shots, while Norris also tipped over the bar from a decent Ejaria effort.

At the other end Ruben Neves tried to respond with a trademark long-range wondergoal but his 25-yarder whistled over.

Otherwise their attacking exploits were limited to Diogo Jota and Helder Costa trying to play through balls to Gibbs-White who was making good, darting runs in the final third.

Surprisingly there were no changes at the start of the second half. Wolves made a slight improvement with keeper Jason Steele having to push into the side netting from Jota's shot after good work from Douglas, but on 56 minutes Nuno called for Leo Bonatini and Bright Enobakhare with Costa and Gibbs-White making way.

It made no difference...and on 66 minutes they fell further behind when Paddy McNair had the beating of three defenders and then drove past Norris.

It was the last action of the game for the goalkeeper who suffered the ignominy of being substituted four minutes later for third choice keeper Harry Burgoyne.

Wolves were making absolutely no headway and the hosts remained the more likely goalscorers.

The impressive Ejaria ran a ring around Enobakhare in the box but Burgoyne smothered his feet.

Jota tried in vain to get a shot away at the end end but his effort was blocked. And that, inexplicably, was as good as it got for Wolves on a dreadfully poor day for Nuno's team.

Key moments

19 – GOAL – Ovie Ejaria sidefoots home after Norris diverts a shot into his path.

45 – GOAL – Ashley Fletcher lobs into the empty net after Norris and Batth can't deal with a bouncing through ball.

66 – GOAL – And it's 3-0 to Sunderland as Paddy McNair fools three defenders and beats Norris.

Teams

Sunderland (4-3-3): Steele; Matthews, O'Shea (Mumba, 87), Wilson, Oviedo (Hume, 71); McNair (Embleton, 75), Robson, Ejaria, Asoro, Fletcher, LuaLua. Subs: Camp, Maja, Clarke-Salter, Molyneux.

Goals: Ejaria (19), Fletcher (45)

Wolves (3-4-3: Norris (Burgoyne, 70), Batth (c), Coady, Miranda; Doherty, Neves, Saiss, Douglas; Costa (Enobakhare, 56), Jota, Gibbs-White (Bonatini, 56). Subs: Hause, Vinagre, N'Diaye, Afobe.

Referee: Jeremy Simpson

League position

1st (99 point from 46 matches)