- Sunderland thrashed by Nottingham Forest
- Game was already lost in the first half
- Black Cats’ European dream is over
Sunderland have suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest, and it is a result which will bear harsh consequences.
Friday night’s match was a tough one for Sunderland to take, with any chance of a comeback obliterated before half-time.
Trai Hume headed the ball into his own net in the 17th minute and once Chris Wood scored after half an hour, everything started to go wrong.
Igor Jesus assisted Morgan Gibbs-White three minutes later and then it only took an additional three minutes for the forward to find the net himself.
Sunderland delivered a more spirited performance in the second half, helped on by their loyal supporters.
However, Daniel Ballard had his 61st minute score ruled out, and the Black Cats were unable to get the better of Nottingham Forest’s compact defensive line.
Then in the 95th minute, Elliot Anderson made it five, a goal which Sunderland did not really deserve to concede based on their performance in the last 45 minutes.
Sunderland could drop to 13th in the Premier League
Last Sunday saw Sunderland narrowly lose 4-3 to Aston Villa, a defeat which pushed them down to 11th in the Premier League table.
This is where Regis Le Bris’ men continue to sit, although this is because none of the other matches of the weekend have been played.
Should Fulham and Crystal Palace both win, Sunderland will drop to 13th. However, neither of these teams have a straightforward fixture.
Perhaps more importantly, Sunderland are currently four points off the top six, but this gap is likely to have grown by either Sunday or Monday night.
This has still be a great season for Sunderland
Championship clubs will often earn promotion to the Premier League only to go straight back down, as seen with Burnley on Wednesday.
Sunderland on the other hand have had a really strong season in the top flight, despite a fourth place finish in the second tier last season.
The chances of European football in September have been reduced significantly. Realistically, it is not going to happen.
Nevertheless, this has been a really good season and on the whole, the Mackems can hold their heads high.
