The home crowd had its fill of misery well before the score line was complete at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland allowed four first-half goals to an Aston Villa side that hadn’t scored more than two in a Premier League match this season, and fans left in droves after the third goal.
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Several fans encroached on the Sunderland dugout to give fiery words to the bench and coaches, and had to be restrained by stewards in Northeast England.