Sunderland 1-5 Stoke City: Alex Neil's Potters romp to victory at his old club
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Alex Neil was also the winning manager when Sunderland won 1-0 at Stoke in August
Alex Neil's Stoke City stunned Sunderland on his return to Wearside with his biggest win since leaving the Stadium of Light to take charge of the Potters in August.
After Will Smallbone's cutback from the right set up an unmarked Josh Laurent to give Stoke the lead just before the break, Tyrese Campbell put the Potters in command with an early second-half double in the space of four minutes.
Alex Pritchard gave Sunderland hope with a goal from close range, but former Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle then further enraged the home fans when he came up with a brace to finish off the hosts.
Neil, who walked out on Sunderland in August to join their Championship rivals, admitted that he was expecting a hostile reception on his first return - and he got one, being pelted with objects thrown from the stands and given a security escort.
The public address system announcer also had to ask supporters not to throw missiles after something appeared to be thrown at Gayle as he celebrated his first goal by taunting a section of home fans - and he was jeered again after his second goal.
In what turned out to be a controversial afternoon at the Stadium of Light, the hosts were denied a very strong penalty claim before the Potters' opener came from Laurent four minutes before half-time.
But the home furore at what proved to be Sunderland's third straight defeat was largely sparked by the events leading to Stoke's opening goal.
Referee Jeremy Simpson stopped play for a head injury when Potters defender Ki-Jana Hoever was wiped out by his own goalkeeper, Matija Sarkic, who missed an attempted punch for the ball.
Stoke defender Morgan Fox cleared off the line, only for the official to stop play, then restart it by dropping an uncontested ball for Sarkic.
Sarkic rolled the ball to Hoever, who had just been allowed to re-enter the field of play. And from his pass down the right, Smallbone cut the ball back for Laurent to hammer in unattended.
Dwight Gayle's double tripled his previous goal tally for Stoke City - and when he opened his account for the Potters in January it was his first goal in over two years
With boos still ringing around the stadium, frustrated home boss Tony Mowbray, Neil's successor as Sunderland boss, was booked when he approached the referee at half-time but Mr Simpson side-stepped him.
Stoke then went two up eight minutes after the break when midfielder Dan Neil's attempted backpass was charged down by Gayle and he found Smallbone, whose pass to the left found Campbell in space and he rolled home a low left-foot finish.
After seeing his initial shot blocked, Campbell then brilliantly curled in a right-foot shot for his second on 57 minutes before Pritchard pulled one back when he got there first at the near post to turn in Patrick Roberts' low near-post cross.
But Gayle, making his first appearance at the Stadium of Light, quickly restored the three-goal cushion when he hooked in the rebound from close range.
He then acrobatically headed in Smallbone's free-kick for only his third goal in 58 games, which brought the same hushed celebration and the same angry response from the Sunderland fans.
Who's next?
Sunderland, now in 10th, six points shy of the play-offs, have an eight-day wait for their next game, the first of four successive games against teams currently in the top six.
The Sunday noon kick-off at Norwich is then followed by three more matches in March against second-placed Sheffield United and fifth-placed Luton Town at home, followed by a trip to leaders Burnley.
Stoke, who move up to 16th in the table, are back in action at home to promotion-chasing Blackburn Rovers on Friday.
Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray:
"I wanted an explanation from the referee. I don't mind him flashing the yellow, but why isn't he able to have a discussion?
"Why did they drop the ball at the keeper's feet when we had the ball six or seven seconds, or at least tell them to give the ball back?
"It was ridiculous. It is hard for the team, the supporters, the club. It was difficult to foresee it coming, I would suggest.
"It didn't feel like a normal Sunderland game where we are in control. Over recent games we have struggled to score enough goals to win football matches."
Stoke City boss Alex Neil:
"What is disappointing and frustrating is that I have been painted the villain. There are a lot of untrue things that have been said about me. There's been a lot hatred. But I won't cry.
"I enjoyed winning but that is for the people who understand the dynamics of the situation because I am not the bad guy.
"We knew the type of game it would be. We wanted to make sure we restricted them playing in the pockets they do. We didn't want them to have any flow. The game plan worked as well as it could.
"The first was a great worked goal. But I can understand Sunderland's frustration. Ki has just come back on. I was actually saying the same in the first half when he let Dan Ballard back on. He did it for both teams."