Jobe Bellingham has scored nine goals in all competitions since joining Sunderland in July 2023
Jobe Bellingham scored as Championship leaders Sunderland beat Oxford United 2-0 to go five points clear.
Bellingham's neatly placed header opened the scoring, before Wilson Isidor doubled the hosts' advantage with a brilliantly timed volley in the second half.
The Black Cats had 13 shots compared with Oxford's five as Regis le Bris' side sealed their third consecutive league victory.
Oxford slipped two places to 14th in the table as a result of their defeat.
The hosts asserted their authority early on, with Patrick Roberts' free-kick being tipped away by U's goalkeeper Jamie Cumming, before Isidor nodded wide.
Sunderland defender Trai Hume then delivered an inch-perfect cross for Bellingham, who leapt above two defenders and found the bottom corner with his header.
- Published21 October
- Attribution
- Published26 October
The 19-year-old midfielder then almost turned provider, brushing off a defender to feed 17-year-old Chris Rigg, who stung the palms of Cumming with his strike.
Oxford had their first shot just moments before half-time, with Idris El Mizouni cutting inside from the left and belting the ball at Simon Moore in the Black Cats goal.
Visiting manager Des Buckingham changed his side's shape for the second half, reverting from a back four to a back three.
Half-time substitute Greg Leigh was quickly involved from left wing-back, firing in a dangerous cross that no U's forward could quite reach.
At the other end, Bellingham continued to look threatening on the ball and curled an effort on to the crossbar just before the hour mark.
Then came a brilliant team move from Sunderland. Dan Neil chipped a ball forward down the right channel, Isidor watched it float over his shoulder, and swept it beautifully into the corner without breaking his stride.
The U's struggled to make any inroads after going 2-0 down as Sunderland continued their winning form with a ninth league victory of the season.
They have now also gone 14 games unbeaten against Oxford in all competitions - a run stretching back to 1994.
Black Cats 'top for a reason' - Reaction
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris on BBC Radio Newcastle:
"A tough week. This third game is not easy to manage because it is a third game in six days.
"We had good control. We could have scored one or two more goals to be more comfortable.
"We needed to stay consistent until the end. The players did well.
"We are learning from previous experiences and today was clear, we are dominant and at the end we deserved to win."
Oxford United manager Des Buckingham on BBC Radio Oxford:
"That's a top team that are in top form at the moment, at home, showcasing what this level of competition is.
"We can try and set ourselves up to come here and do what we can - and we'll do that - but when you come up against teams like that, that can happen.
"That can be the reality of this league. They are at the top of the table for a reason.
"But we need to make sure we do everything we can to get ourselves into a game and look, we tried today."
