Hello and welcome to our live blog coverage of Sunderland vs Middlebsrough at the Stadium of Light. Whether you call it a derby or not, today's game has plenty riding on it, with the two in-form North East sides looking to get one over on their local rivals.
Tony Mowbray spent much of his career on Teesside, of course, both playing and managing Boro, but he will only be focused on the Black Cats today. Sunderland have some injury issues to contend with as Bradley Dack and Pierre Ekwah will miss today's game, along with Alex Pritchard.
After a difficult start to the season, Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough have found some Championship form to move away from the bottom of the table, with wins over Cardiff, Watford and Southampton easing early worries.
Sunderland could move up to third with a win in today's early kick-off. We'll have all the latest from the Stadium of Light as it happens, plus all the post-match analysis, reaction and ratings.
Key Events
Tony Mowbray reaction
Referee Jarred Gillett 'spoiled the game', says Tony Mowbray, with Dan Neil's red card proving the turning point in Sunderland's heavy defeat against Boro.
FT ratings
Ballard man of the match, a couple of other did OK, but some of Sunderland's usual star men were well below par.
Match report
Dan Neil's dismissal was pivotal as Boro romp to their biggest-ever win on Wearside.
FT. Sunderland 0-4 Middlesbrough
And that's that.
Sunderland were the better side when it was 11-vs-11, but from the moment Neil was sent off for a second bookable offence on the stroke of half-time, it was all Boro.
Neil's second booking for dissent was stupid - and costly.
Goals from Greenwood, Crooks, Jones, and Forss, gave Boro the points.
Referee Jarred Gillett was atrocious from start to finish, but Sunderland were the authors of their own downfall.
Too many big players did not turn up today
90mins Sunderland 0-4 Middlesbrough. Goal!
Patterson makes a good stop from Latte Lath, but the rebound falls to Forss and he finishes
73mins Sunderland 0-3 Middlesbrough. Goal!
Rogers' throughball releases Jones in the right channel, he gets into the box and cuts inside Ballard before applying the finish
69mins Game paused
Game pauses briefly while paramedics make their way to an incident in the Roker End
60mins Sunderland 0-2 Middlesbrough. Goal!
Jones gets to the byline inside the box on the right, his low cross is turned in by Crooks from close range
58mins Sunderland 0-1 Middlesbrough. Goal!
Fry on the left wing, his cross to the near post finds Greenwood who stabs it past Patterson
48mins What a save!
Jones' low ball across the face of goal from the right, Crooks meets it at the far post but Patterson gets down to make a brilliant stop and divert it wide for a corner.
From the corner, McNair heads over
⏱ And we are back under way!
Middlesbrough kick off the second half, Sunderland are attacking the North Stand end
HT ratings
Patterson 6
Hume 6
O'Nien 7
Ballard 7
Huggins 6 (Seelt 30, 6)
Neil 6
Roberts 7
Bellingham 7
Clarke 6
Burstow 7
Ba 7
HT. Sunderland 0-0 Middlesbrough
Just as the whistle went, Coburn led with his elbow as he challenged Ballard.
It sparks a mass scrap before the players head for the tunnel.
Both Ballard and Coburn booked.
Sunderland the better side in the first half but Boro posed a threat at times.
The ref has taken centre-stage in the final few minutes - and he's loving the spotlight!
33mins Booking
Jones booked for a foul on Ba, as the Sunderland man raced through towards goal. A covering defender spared him a red card.
Greenwood booked for dissent
31mins Great challenge!
Sunderland break from a Boro corner, Burstow gallops away down the left and gets into the box but Jones makes the tackle
25mins Post!
Boro come forward and Hume slips, the ball comes to Greenwood, his cross is pushed away by Patterson but it comes to Coburn who sees his shot blocked by Ballard and the ball hits the outside of the post and goes wide
