Sunderland's 5-1 humiliation at the hands of Stoke City was the Black Cats' heaviest home defeat for more than 40 years. Not since Manchester United won by the same scoreline, with Frank Stapleton (2) and Bryan Robson amongst the scorers, at Roker Park in November 1981 have Sunderland shipped five goals on their own patch and ended up losing by a four-goal margin.
And it therefore marked a new low for the Stadium of Light, which has been Sunderland's home since 1997. Sunderland have lost 4-0 at the Stadium of Light on four occasions but the only other time they have conceded five goals in a game there was in a crazy 5-4 League One defeat against Coventry City in April 2019.
Stoke's win was the fifth time Sunderland have lost a league game 5-1 on home soil, with Manchester United's 1981 win at Roker Park preceded by that of West Ham in September 1967, West Bromwich Albion in January 1966, and Aston Villa in December 1938. But Sunderland's record league home defeat is 6-1, with two clubs having triumphed by that scoreline at Roker Park.
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Rivals Newcastle United set that bar when they won the Wear-Tyne derby on Boxing Day 1955, and it was matched by Birmingham City in April 1958.
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