When all is said and done, it's more woe for Wednesday, while the Black Cats are purring again.

Both of those storylines, and these teams, are well worth keeping an eye on in the coming hours, days, weeks and months.

Thank you for your company this evening. A reminder we will be back from 12:15 BST tomorrow with live coverage of the Premi... sorry, no, it's a Championship game between Southampton and Leeds at St Mary's.

Hope to see you then... enjoy the rest of your evening!

Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray told Sky Sports:

"We needed to start fast. We were mindful of our last away game at Blackburn. Tonight we started fast and gave ourselves a great platform to go on.

"To get three goals before half-time was great, the only thing, and I said it in the dressing room, I was a little disappointed we didn't go on and score more.

"They are a young group and they have to learn. I can't really complain, to come away and score three goals for the third time on the bounce is good."

Image source, .

On a day of bleak reading for Owls fans, the Championship table makes perhaps the most depressing read of all.

They are the lone winless side left in the division and have now lost seven of their nine games in the second tier.

They are also the lowest scorers with just five all season and their goal difference is now the worst in the division too.

They'll be looking on this weekend hoping not to be cut adrift.

Luke O'Nien, Sunderland defender, told Sky Sports:

"It was frustrating (to lose 1-0 at home to Cardiff) the other day. We put that right this evening.

"Jack Clarke was magic and it was a good professional performance in front of our support.

"We have got a good mix and match (going forward and in defence) at the moment but we have to keep getting better.

"It's not an easy place to come and play but we did our job well."

Image source, PA Media

Sunderland fans can sit back and enjoy watching their rivals near the top of the table slug it out across Saturday and Sunday after taking care of business this weekend at the earliest opportunity.

With midweek fixtures to come next week the key is getting on a roll, and after seeing a three-match winning run ended by Cardiff on Sunday, they'll hope this is the start of another one.

Sunderland goalscorer Jack Clarke told Sky Sports:

"We had a game plan and we've worked on it all week - we had to put things right after the last game and we managed to show what we are all about.

"We're a team, we reap the results up front but we wouldn't be able to get the results without the boys at the back and (Anthony Patterson in goal).

"I didn't feel like I took enough chances last year but I'm trying to put that right this year. It's going alright at the moment so long may it continue."

Jim: Well I think we can safely say we are already relegated. Nine matches in and 2 points. Going to be a long hard season for the Owls and Sheffield United I think.

Matt a sad owls fan from Edinburgh: I've supported Wednesday through thick and thin for 46 years, but this is the most torrid and sad period I have known. The club is 'owned' by the fans... do the decent thing Mr Chansari and sell the club!

Gary Bennett
Ex-Sunderland defender on BBC Radio Newcastle

It was comfortable for Sunderland, they were in second gear.

It makes you wonder where Sheffield Wednesday go from here, but from a Sunderland point of view, you can only beat what's in front of you.

I was expecting more from Sheffield Wednesday. When you are a team at the bottom you expect some fight and we didn't see that at all.

It was a canter for Sunderland.

More boos.

The damage was done in a crazy first eight minutes when Sunderland took a two-goal lead through Dan Ballard's booming header and Jack Clarke's delicious curler.

The scoreline got worse through Clarke's penalty just after the half-hour, and the visitors fashioned some good chances to extend it, but Wednesday showed their fans a bit of fight in patches, created chances of their own, and were it not for Anthony Patterson would have had at least won the last hour of this match.

That said, they remain winless, bottom of the table, and in the midst of desperate times.

Sunderland, by contrast, are full of vim and vigour and Sunday's defeat to Cardiff is a distant memory. In Jack Clarke they also have the division's seven-goal top-scorer.

Juna Delgado volleys a cross into the middle where George Byers sneaks in to meet the ball, with Anthony Patterson producing a reaction save to claw his close-range header off the line.

Wednesday's best chance in the dying moments.

Sunderland are seeking a fourth as we go into added time, but the offside flag is up...

Brian Laws
Ex-Sheff Wed manager on BBC Radio Sheffield

You can understand the frustration of the fans. It's not nice seeing your team losing 3-0 at home.

The intensity is drifting into the South Yorkshire night along with scores of Wednesday fans.

This game was settled inside the opening nine minutes, but credit to Wednesday, they have not completely crumbled and are approaching an hour without conceding now.

Jobe Bellingham tries to change that but can only fire straight into the midriff of Devis Vasquez.

Another change. Trai Hume goes off after a good shift. Jenson Seelt comes on for his Black Cats debut.

Naughty challenge from Juan Delgado on Nazariy Rusyn, his opposite No15 and a fellow sub, gets his name into the book.

A very stop-start period of play given all the stoppages and interruptions for subs.

There will be a good seven or eight minutes added at least at the end, though quite how intense they will be remains to be seen.

Sunderland wanted a penalty for an inadvertant strike of the hand after a ball flicked up off Liam Palmer but nothing doing.

The attendance of 25,987 (including around 3,600 from Sunderland) is actually up on the Owls average. Good support given the circumstances.

Image source, PA Media

More new faces.

Mason Burstow and Jack Clarke depart. Clarke without a hat-trick. He has however scored six in five games and bagged a pearler this evening.

On come Chris Rigg, whio has scored on both appearances this season, and Ukrainian hot-spot Nazariy Rusyn.

Bambo DIaby is going to have to go off for Wednesday too after a nasty clash of heads. Lee Gregory is the other Owl to make way.

Liam Palmer and former Sunderland loanee Ashley Fletcher are introduced for the hosts.

Palmer is making his 450th club career appearance - more than 400 of which have come for Wednesday. Some knock.

Graham: New manager favouring the players he has signed but they keep coming up short. Play what we have left from last season's play-off success!

JBM: Wednesday were very lucky to win the play-offs and are now being found out.

Michael, an Owl: No team with so little confidence or self-belief, like Sheffield Wednesday, have any chance of winning a game of football at this level.

Juan Delgado dropped to the bench in this game but is on for the final 20 minutes or so, as is Djeidi Gassama. Another one for the vowel fans, there.

Pol Valentin and John Buckley make way.

Wednesday have had the oldest average age to their starting XI’s in the Championship this season at 28 years and 242 days, while Sunderland have had the youngest at 23-years-old.

Youngsters these days have no respect for their elders, eh?