Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of this afternoon's crucial Premier League clash between Sunderland and Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light. Both teams are in desperate need of the points as they battle against relegation, so there should be plenty of tension and drama ahead. Team will news will be with you shortly.

SUNDERLAND: Pantilimon; Reveillere, van Aanholt, Brown, O'Shea; Bridcutt, Larsson, Rodwell, Alvarez; Defoe, Fletcher

SUNDERLAND SUBS: Jones, Wickham, Gomez, Graham, Coates, Vergini, Mannone

Following their 1-1 draw with Hull City last time out, Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has made three changes to his starting lineup for today's game. Patrick van Aanholt, Ricky Alvarez and Steven Fletcher all return, with the latter making his first Premier League start for the Black Cats since January.

ASTON VILLA: Guzan; Lowton, Okore, Clark, Bacuna; Delph, Cleverley, Sinclair, N'Zogbia; Benteke, Agbonlahor

ASTON VILLA SUBS: Given, Gil, Sanchez, Kinsella, Weimann, Westwood, Hepburn-Murphy

Meanwhile, Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood has made two changes after seeing his side beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals as Brad Guzan and Scott Sinclair start in place of Shay Given and Ashley Westwood respectively. Carles Gil and Andreas Weimann are among the subs for the visitors.

Both of these teams are currently languishing near the relegation zone, so the points on offer this afternoon are that little bit more important. A win for either would significantly boost their hopes of steering themselves away from trouble, while a defeat would be very damaging indeed. However, the good news is that fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers are currently losing 3-0 at Crystal Palace in this afternoon's early kickoff. We'll bring you news of that result as soon as it comes through.

Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood: "I think it'll be a photo finish and I hope we're not in [the relegation battle]. We're probably just coming around the corner but it's probably the longest run-in in racing history. All we're looking at is the next fence and that's Sunderland. After that we hope we can stay in the running, there might be a few who fall along the way and we're hoping that's not us."

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet: "I can't see too many goals in the game. Two teams who have scored the fewest in the division are not suddenly going to be in a game that finishes 3-3. But I suppose if one team goes one or two up, there's going to be spaces. I want us to put pressure on them, use the home crowd, and try to win the match."

Gus Poyet could well be right about how this afternoon's match is going to play out. The two sides have really struggled for goals this season and do indeed occupy the bottom two places in the scoring charts. Villa have averaged just 0.52 goals per game during the current campaign, while Sunderland have fared little better with 0.79 per game.

Sunderland have struggled for a run of consistent form all season and their last five games reflects that. The Black Cats are on a five-match winless run in the Premier League, with two of those games ending in defeat. Their last outing saw them earn a 1-1 draw away to Hull City thanks to a Jack Rodwell goal 13 minutes from time. Their last win in the league came at the end of January.

Aston Villa ended a run of seven consecutive defeats in the Premier League when they beat West Brom 2-1 at the start of the month. Since then the Villans have booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals with another victory over their Midlands rivals, but there is no doubt that staying in the top flight remains the club's top priority. While Tim Sherwood will be looking forward to guiding the team out at Wembley Stadium, the former midfielder would bite your hand off if you offered him three points right now.

HEAD TO HEAD: It's Aston Villa who have the better record when it comes to past meetings between these teams, winning 70 times compared to 53 victories for Sunderland. There have also been 44 draws since they first faced each other.

Sunderland's inferior head-to-head record against Aston Villa is evident from their recent results versus the Midlands club. The Black Cats have failed to win in their last seven games with Villa, with their most recent victory coming back in January 2011. One of the Villans' more emphatic triumphs over Sunderland in modern times was a 6-1 thrashing at Villa Park in April 2013. Got a feeling we won't be seeing that many goals this afternoon.

UPDATE! The full-time whistle has gone at Selhurst Park, where Crystal Palace have beaten QPR 3-1 thanks to a blitz of first-half goals. That result is good news for both Sunderland and Aston Villa because it puts a bit of daylight between them and the relegation zone.

You can see the Premier League table here. You have to wonder whether Poyet and Sherwood have told their players that QPR have lost. That result certainly makes this afternoon's clash at the Stadium of Light a bit more tasty.

PREDICTION TIME! It would be foolish to think that today's game is going to be an example of cavalier football, but we could be surprised. Either way, looking at recent form, Aston Villa could well fancy themselves to leave the North East with three points. Tim Sherwood has had a largely positive effect on the team, while Sunderland could be weighed down by the expectations of their own fans.

Sunderland will be looking to Jermain Defoe and Steven Fletcher to give the Aston Villa defence problems this afternoon. The pair haven't really had the chance to strike up a decent partnership in attack, but they will probably be thinking that they may enjoy a bit of luck against the Villans over the course of the next 90 minutes. Meanwhile, Christian Benteke, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Scott Sinclair will all need to be firing for Villa. However, you would think that the key area will be in midfield. Both sides have players who are not afraid to put a foot in, so there could be fireworks.

Both sets of players are starting to emerge in the tunnel as we approach kickoff. This game isn't the most enticing on paper, but there is so much riding on it.

KICKOFF! The teams are out, the pre-match formalities have been done and it will be hosts Sunderland to get us underway at the Stadium of Light. Today's referee is Neil Swarbrick. Here we go!

It's been a lively start to this game, with both teams putting themselves about during the early stages. N'Zogbia has a shot that's deflected wide for a corner, but the visitors fail to make anything of it.

Sunderland put a bit of pressure on Villa thanks to some dynamic play in the final third. Alvarez tries to work himself some space on the edge of the box before sliding in Van Aanholt, but the full-back can only scoop his effort wide. We've seen plenty of attacking play so far. Both of these sides are under no illusions just how important three points would be for their respective causes this afternoon.

YELLOW CARD! The first booking of the game goes the way of Villa's Bacuna and he can have no complaints after chopping Fletcher down on the left side of the pitch. An easy decision for Neil Swarbrick, that.

The visitors are starting to see a bit more of the ball, but Sunderland are doing a good job of closing them down. The Black Cats win possession deep in opposition territory before winning a corner, but the away side clears the danger.

Oh, that's a waste from Bacuna. A Villa counter-attack ends with the midfielder taking a crack at goal from about 30 yards that falls into the hands of Pantilimon. However, he had a couple of teammates up with him that could have been played in.

CHANCE! More decent attacking play from the visitors as N'Zogbia finishes a move with a ferocious 30-yard strike, but Pantilimon is there again to keep the ball out of the net. It was a fairly routine save for the Sunderland shotstopper in the end, though he needed to keep his eye firmly on the shot.

What a lovely goal from Aston Villa to take the lead with. Cleverley sets Bacuna free down the right with a wonderful one-touch flick before the latter crosses for Benteke. The striker opens his body up to place the ball past Pantilimon from the centre of the box, though his shot seemed to take a deflection on the way through.

Would you believe it?! Aston Villa double their lead inside as many minutes, but this time it comes from some poor Sunderland defending. A long ball over the top completely catches O'Shea out, allowing Agbonlahor to run through on goal. The Villa forward then composes himself before calmly placing the ball past the onrushing Pantilimon to make it 2-0. Needless to say, the home fans are not happy at all.

The visitors look like they're enjoying themselves out there knowing that they have a two-goal cushion. Villa are knocking the ball about with plenty of confidence, and they can sense that there are more goals in this. Meanwhile, Sunderland look bereft of ideas. Where do they go from here? This game is in danger of running away from them.

Sunderland are granted a bit of a breather as Bridcutt stays down for some treatment. That's allowed Gus Poyet to pull some of his players over to the touchline to tell them how to turn this around. That little break may just help to calm some of the home players down because they've been looking frantic out there.

Sunderland are starting to build up a bit of possession, though they're not doing a great deal with the ball. A goal now for the hosts would give them a real lift, but a third for Villa would surely mean it's game over. The home side carve themselves out a half-chance as the ball is whipped into the box before Rodwell heads way wide.

MISS! Wow. This is one of the misses of the season, surely. Bacuna does brilliantly down the right again before crossing to Sinclair. The winger is about four yards from goal and with no one around him, yet he somehow hits the ball over the crossbar. That is astonishing. Will that give Sunderland a boost?

PENALTY APPEAL! Sunderland want a penalty as the ball looks to hit the arm of Clark, but Neil Swarbrick wants nothing to do with it. It would have been a harsh one because the Villa defender knew very little about that.

Sunderland should be encouraged by this spell that they've had in the last five minutes or so. They're putting a bit more pressure on their opponents, but they're still lacking that bit of quality in the final third. Defoe and Fletcher have looked busy when the ball has come there way, though those moments have been few and far between.

Villa get their third and the Sunderland fans start streaming out of the stadium in their droves. This is incredible! Agbonlahor is allowed to dance his way through the Sunderland defence before calmly placing the ball into the far corner. Surely that is game over now. The visitors are romping to victory.

A couple of Sunderland fans go too far in their protests as they run up to the dugout to shout abuse at Gus Poyet and are duly taken away by stewards. Who could have envisaged that Villa would score three before half time?

CHANCE! Villa almost grab a fourth as Delph fires inches wide of the post from the edge of the box following a swift counter-attack. That could easily have crept into the far post.

Wow. Just wow. Aston Villa add insult to injury for Sunderland by making it 4-0 thanks to a powerful header from Benteke. The Belgian gets well above the helpless Reveillere to nod in a cross from the right. Poor defending again from Sunderland. Really poor. Meanwhile, the Villa players are absolutely jubilant.

There will be at least TWO MINUTES of added time at the end of the half...

A loud chorus of boos ring out around the Stadium of Light as the half-time whistle goes. What can you say? That was an absolute nightmare of a half from Sunderland, while the Aston Villa players will be pinching themselves to see if it's not just a dream.

Gabriel Agbonlahor and Christian Benteke have two goals apiece, and it's been just so easy for the visitors. They've been clinical in front of goal, but they've also been helped somewhat by some woeful defending from the home side.

Where do Sunderland go from here? They've already been humiliated after that dismal first-half display. An early goal in the second half may lift their spirits a bit, but in truth this game is well and truly over. Meanwhile, Tim Sherwood may well be telling his players not to take their foot of the gas and to stay professional in the second half.

Before the game there was plenty of talk about this likely being a low-scoring affair, but that's all been thrown out of the window now! We could yet see even more goals, particularly if Sunderland continue to defend as they have.

SECOND HALF UNDERWAY! The players are back out for the second half and it will be Aston Villa to kick us off. Sunderland have made a change at the break, with Connor Wickham replacing Ricky Alvarez. Incredibly, the home side were booed back onto the pitch.

CHANCE! The visitors go on the hunt for a fifth goal and they nearly get it. N'Zogbia tries his luck from the edge of the box, but Pantilimon does well to claw the ball away from the top corner. Meanwhile, a strange scene is unfolding because the hosts have started the second half with just 10 men on the pitch because Seb Larsson is nowhere to be seen.

Here comes Larsson. The midfielder looks to be hobbling a bit, so we can only guess that he was receiving treatment during the break. Whatever the explanation, that is very unusual.

Villa have kept the ball impressively since the restart. They look so confident in possession. Their latest attacking move ends with Delph taking aim from 20 yards, but the captain shoots wide. Sunderland are hardly being allowed a touch at the moment.

The visitors are looking like a threat whenever they go forward right now. Their midfield and attack are all working really well together, while Sunderland just sit back and try to soak up the pressure. That's not the wisest of tactics from the Black Cats.

CHANCE! Sunderland almost pull a goal back as Fletcher and Wickham link before the former slides a wonderful cross into the heart of the Villa six-yard box that Defoe just can't quite reach. That's probably the best move that Gus Poyet's men have put together this afternoon.

With both Agbonlahor and Benteke having scored twice each already today, the two Villa forwards will be eager to get their hat-tricks. You wouldn't be against either of them doing it, too. The away side are still in complete control of this game despite that slight resurgence from Sunderland a few minutes ago.

His side may be 4-0 up, but Tim Sherwood isn't looking too pleased down on the touchline. The Villa boss turns away in disgust as N'Zogbia wastes the ball going forward. The winger had Sinclair free on the left side as the visitors broke once more, but he was tackled by Rodwell.

ASTON VILLA SUB: The Villans make their first change of the day as Sanchez replaces Clark. Just over 25 minutes to play at the Stadium of Light.

CHANCE! Sunderland show signs of life again as Larsson tries to bend a free kick into the net from about 25 yards, but his effort skips narrowly wide of the post. Guzan was worried by that, with the American scampering across his goal in at attempt to keep it out.

The hosts are seeing a bit more of the ball in opposition territory now, but Villa are breaking with such pace. N'Zogbia, Sinclair and Delph are all happy to run with the ball, while Agbonlahor and Benteke are a constant threat in the final third. It would be amazing if we didn't see another goal by the end of this match.

Sunderland are doing absolutely nothing to get the ball off Villa at the moment. It's like a training game for the visitors. They're being allowed to knock it about with no real pressure at all from the hosts. Sunderland's players probably can't wait for the final whistle. They just want to get out of here.

Another tame effort from Sunderland, this time with Rodwell's weak effort from 25 yards easily saved by Guzan. There's just over 15 minutes remaining at the Stadium of Light and even more of the home fans are starting to file out of the ground. They've seen enough. Many left at the end of the first half.

ASTON VILLA SUB: Another change for the visitors now as Weimann replaces N'Zogbia, who has been fantastic this afternoon. He's been electric down the right flank.

OFF THE POST! Sunderland come within a whisker of scoring a consolation as Fletcher's flicked effort comes back off the post before Villa clear. That was a neat move from the hosts, with the Scot being played in by Rodwell.

ASTON VILLA, SUNDERLAND SUBS: What a moment for 16-year-old Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, who makes his debut for the visitors. The local lad replaces Benteke. Meanwhile, Danny Graham replaces Fletcher for Sunderland.

Tim Sherwood is affording himself a cheeky grin down on the touchline. He'll probably be a bit disappointed that his team has failed to add to their first-half tally, but this will be a big win for the Midlands club. Sunderland create themselves a half-chance as Wickham fires narrowly over the crossbar with a speculative effort.

CHANCE! Another opportunity for Wickham as he meets Larsson's cross from the right. However, the sub gets his angles all wrong as he fires a wild shot into the stand behind the goal from about 10 yards. He was suffering from a severe lack of composure there.

There will be TWO MINUTES added time at the end of this game...

The Sunderland fans that are left in the Stadium of Light voice their disapproval as the final whistle goes to confirm a heavy defeat to their fellow strugglers. While it's been a dismal day for the Black Cats, Aston Villa have given their survival hopes a massive boost with this comprehensive victory. They will be thrilled.

That's all from our live text coverage of this afternoon's match, but don't forget that you can keep up to date with all of the reaction from both teams right here on Sports Mole. Thanks for your company, we hope to see you again very soon. Goodbye!