Sunderland's final home hurrah had threatened to fall flat. A crowd of just under 45,000 - the highest of the season at the Stadium of Light, and in the Championship overall - had turned out to roar their team to a victory that would have sent them into the top six ahead of their last-day trip to Preston.
And yet a Watford team with nothing left to play for, that arrived on Wearside having won just one of its last seven games, that had failed in its mission to make an immediate return to the Premier League, and that had been branded 'physically and mentally weak' by its head coach - the third man in the role this season - found itself 2-0 up against the Black Cats with 20 minutes remaining. It seemed Sunderland's injuries had at last caught up with them.
With no specialist centre-backs available due to injury, Watford had capitalised from their only two corners of the match with Christian Kabasele heading them in front inside 20 minutes and Ryan Porteous doubling their lead just after the midway point in the second period. And Sunderland's lack of a centre-forward meant there had been no end product despite enjoying 70 percent possession.
