Sunderland ended their home campaign with another defeat, going down 2-0 to strugglers Swansea City at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.
Fernando Llorente opened the scoring from the first chance of the contest, before Kyle Naughton blasted home a second late in the first half.
The Black Cats edged the second half but created little, squandering their best chance when Billy Jones slotted wide from a close-range rebound.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Sunderland and Swansea City at the Stadium of Light. We are in store for another huge weekend of action at the bottom end of the division, as three teams - Swansea, Hull City and Crystal Palace - are left fighting for their top-flight safety.
Matters at the top may have nee wrapped up on Friday night thanks to Chelsea's victory away to West Bromwich Albion, but it remains very tight at the bottom and could well go down to the wire. Swansea are in a strong position to stay up due to results last weekend, namely fellow strugglers Hull's defeat at home to the Black Cats, and they know that they can plan for another year of Prem football if things go to plan over the next 24 hours or so.
TEAM NEWS!
SUNDERLAND XI: Pickford; Jones, Kone, O'Shea, Manquillo; Larsson, Denayer, Ndong; Borini, Defoe, Anichebe
SWANSEA CITY XI: Fabianski; Naughton, Mawson, Fernandez, Olsson; Ki, Britton, Carroll; Sigurdsson; Llorente, Ayew
Starting with a look at the home side, manager David Moyes has made just the one change from last weekend's surprise win at Hull City. Sebastian Larsson has had a frustrating campaign on the whole, but he is back in the XI for this final home outing of the season, taking over from George Honeyman in midfield. Honeyman suffered a freak injury in training earlier this week following a collision with one of his own teammates.
Bryan Oviedo, Darron Gibson and Lee Cattermole all had an outside chance of being fit in time to feature today. The latter misses out entirely, but Oviedo and Gibson are on the bench and may well get a chance to build up their fitness at some stage. Up top for the Black Cats is star outfield man Jermain Defoe, who has scored five goals in four outings against the Swans for his current club, including a hat-trick in South Wales 16 months ago.
A little surprising to see Moyes overlook some of the younger fringe players this afternoon, such as Lynden Gooch, but had he rotated too heavily he would have had questions to answer from both Palace and Hull. A likely 4-3-3 formation for the Black Cats once again this weekend, with Victor Anichebe - somewhat of a lucky omen for his side this term - partnering Fabio Borini and Defoe in attack.
In terms of the visitors, Paul Clement has unsurprisingly gone with an unchanged starting lineup. The Swans head into this match on the back of an impressive win over Everton last weekend and, with no fresh injury concerns, Clement has the luxury of going with the same group that picked up those vital points seven days ago. Tough to work out the exact formation, but it will either be a 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-2-1.
Wayne Routledge and Angel Rangel were both expected to be fit for the trip to the North-East, but neither player is included in the matchday squad, while Jefferson Montero and Nathan Dyer also remain out. Swansea will fancy their chances this afternoon with a player of Gylfi Sigurdsson's quality in attack - the Icelandic playmaker on the brink of reaching double figures for goals and assists this term.
BENCH WATCH!
SUNDERLAND SUBS: Mannone, Djilobodji, Oviedo, Khazri, Gooch, Gibson, Rodwell
SWANSEA CITY SUBS: Nordtfelt, Van der Hoorn, Kingsley, Cork, Fer, Narsingh, Borja
Still no sign of Cattermole for Sunderland, but Gibson and Oviedo are included in the matchday squad following their recent layoffs. Swansea are without four players in their travelling party - Routledge, Rangel, Montero and Dyer - but Clement will not be too concerned because he is still able to choose the same XI that picked up victory at home to Everton last weekend.
Sunderland boss David Moyes makes one change to his side from last weekend's 2-0 win at Hull City, bringing in Sebastian Larsson for the injury George Honeyman. It is as you were in terms of Paul Clement's Swansea City side, as he has no fresh injury concerns to contend with following the 1-0 triumph over Everton a week ago.
Little to play for other than pride on the surface for the Black Cats, then, as they sit bottom of the table and will likely remain there come the end of the campaign. For the first time in a decade, following numerous near misses and great escapes, they will be plying their trade in the second tier of English football next term and will likely face a real battle trying to get back up at the first attempt. Rivals Newcastle United did exactly that, but finances were less of a problem.
It really has been a dismal season overall for the North-East outfit, spending a total of 261 days in the bottom three of the division come the final day - pretty much an entire year of misery. They have looked doomed for a number of months, so when relegation was officially confirmed here last month with defeat to Bournemouth it was almost like a weight off the shoulders. Last week's 2-0 triumph at the KCOM Stadium provided proof of that.
While it would be wrong to describe that win on Humberside as smash-and-grab, Sunderland did have to rely on some poor finishing - and some incredible goalkeeping from Jordan Pickford, to be fair - for a rare victory. It was just the sixth time all season that they have picked up maximum points, going three months without doing so prior to that success at the KCOM. Back-to-back wins really would leave Moyes scratching his head.
During those three winless months, Sunderland lost eight and drew two of their league matches. It was a disappointing run that condemned them to the drop, coming after a rare high point in the season when cruising to a 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. With a draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the same week, you just felt that the Black Cats would yet again pull it off - put together a string of wins in the final quarter of the season and drag themselves clear.
That proved to be far from the case, though, and the club's gamble to stick with Moyes did not pay off. The Scotsman should not be blamed entirely for the drop into the second tier, having been left shortchanged in the January transfer window, but he still took over a side that finished clear of the drop last season, while also adding some recruits last summer. Moyes's negative attitude has also upset supporters, but he will be the man tasked with guiding them back up.
Moyes claimed this week that Sunderland will be "the biggest side" in the Championship next season. Debate to be had there, with Aston Villa and Leeds United in particular having something to say about that, but as things stand you would not fancy the Black Cats to bounce straight back up. Defoe will be on his way come the end of the month and Pickford also likely sold for a big fee; the question now is whether they can bring some proven players on board.
That is for the summer, though, because right now the Black Cats have three more games to prepare for. This final home game of the season with Swansea realistically looks like their last hope of putting further points on the board, with away games against Arsenal and Chelsea to come over the next week. Sunderland can still overhaul rivals Middlesbrough, who are four points above them in 19th after playing a game more.
DID YOU KNOW? Sunderland have claimed 14 points from home games this season - the fewest amount in the Premier League, with just three wins and five draws to their 18 outings. The Black Cats are winless in their last nine games at the Stadium of Light, in fact, which is also the longest such run in the top flight. Not since December 17, when getting the better of Watford, have they picked up maximum points.
David Moyes was always likely to have a tough task on his hands at Sunderland this season but, even if he did not receive the backing he was after in January, he is hardly free of blame for their drop into the second tier. The Black Cats now have three more games of the season to go; two of those matches coming away from home against Arsenal and newly-crowned champions Chelsea.
Sunderland have also failed to score in six of their last seven games on Wearside, but star striker Defoe - on his way come the end of the month - returned to scoring ways last weekend and now has 15 for the season. The Englishman requires four more to better the 18 netted for Tottenham in 2009-10, having already matched his tally from last season. It remains to be seen which side will turn up today, but if it's the one we saw last weekend he will have plenty of chances to build on that scoring rare.
Swansea head into the weekend's action sitting 17th in the table and now one point above Hull with two games left to play. The Swans are overwhelming favourites to beat the drop, which was far from the case this time last weekend when victory for the Tigers over a poor Sunderland side would have put a nail in their rivals' coffin. Football can change so quickly, though, as witnessed last weekend, and there is still plenty to play for.
It has been a real roller coaster ride for Paul Clement since he took over right at the turn of the year, literally going up, down and then back up again in terms of results. The apex was very much reached last time out with that win over Everton, coming fresh on the back of Hull's loss to the Black Cats, leaving them outside the bottom three and with their fate now in their own hands. Basically, beat Sunderland and West Brom and they will stay up.
For safety to be assured this weekend, Swansea require victory today and hope that Palace - themselves in the mire - can pick up three points against Hull. It is not that improbable, but this is likely to be a relegation battle that goes into the final round of matches. Indeed, if things pan out the way all neutrals want, it could be a three-way tussle to avoid that final relegation spot next Sunday.
Clement's arrival in early January coincided with a run of five wins from his first eight games, which then soon became five defeats in six. Perhaps complacency played a part in that, but credit to the Swans because they have again managed to click into gear at just the right time - wins over Stoke and Everton at home either side of a battling point at Old Trafford lifting them out of the dropzone.
All that means Swansea head to the North-East on their best run of form this season, going three unbeaten for the first time. They have failed to keep a clean sheet away from South Wales since the opening-day win over Burnley, though - 17 games ago. The Swans are the only Premier League team yet to concede from a set-piece - excluding penalties - since Clement took charge of the club.
While Swansea see out the campaign with winnable games against Sunderland and West Brom, Hull must travel to fellow strugglers Palace today and then welcome Spurs on the final day. The Eagles, meanwhile, know that they could require a result at Old Trafford next Sunday if they fail to pick up a point tomorrow. As it is, the picture could well become a little clearer come 24 hours from now after that clash at Selhurst Park.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Sunderland have claimed one home win against Swansea City in the last 53 years - a 2-0 triumph in a Premier League clash five years ago. The Swans are unbeaten in four visits since then, although three of those have ended all square. December's reverse meeting at the Liberty Stadium finished 3-0 in the Welsh outfit's favour, courtesy of two goals from Llorente and one from Sigurdsson.
With kickoff at the Stadium of Light now less than five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
David Moyes: "We hope Jermain stays. Everybody at the club wants him to stay, all the supporters want him to stay, but it has to be Jermain's decision what he does. Yes, there's a clause in the contract, which is hard to take, I think. I would hope that in my time, if I had been the manager, I wouldn't have allowed a clause like that to be in there. But it is, and obviously we have to honour the contract."
Paul Clement: "If you look right back to the start of the season and say Swansea are going to stay up and there's going to be massive celebrations, people would tell you 'that's not great, we don't want to hear that.' But in the context of the situation - three managers in one year, bottom at the halfway point with only 12 points, massive goals conceded - I think, absolutely yes, we can celebrate if we stay in the league."
Clement right to point out that Swansea have every right to celebrate should they indeed stay up, having endured such a disappointing campaign on the whole. Recent results suggest that it will be they, and not Hull, who stay up, but anything less than victory today and all of a sudden it is game on again. Moyes's pre-match talk centered around Defoe, meanwhile, who he is annoyed to see leave on a free this summer.
KICKOFF! Swansea City, in their all white-home strip this afternoon, get us up and running at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland are already down, and they will now be looking to drag the Swans down with them with victory today.
A packed away end has added to what is a good atmosphere on Wearside. It may have been a disastrous season for the hosts but their fans have remained loyal, which will no doubt remain the case come next season in the Championship.
The visiting side dictating the tempo of the game at the moment, helped by the extra body in midfield. Defoe has dropped very deep in an attempt to help even out the numbers a little in the middle of the park.
The Black Cats managing the string a few passes together now, but their attack ends with a looks pass inside the box. The ball did find its way to Ndong, though, who blasted wide from a difficult angle 10 yards out.
GOAL! SUNDERLAND 0-1 SWANSEA CITY (FERNANDO LLORENTE)
A dream start for Swansea in the North-East thanks to a smart header for Llorente. Sigurdsson with yet another assist, swinging a free kick into the box from a deep position, where the Spaniard got to the ball ahead of Pickford to help it home.
The away end is bouncing now at the Stadium of Light, with Swansea well on course to maintain their Premier League status for a sixth campaign at this level. Pickford, the Black Cats' key asset, should have done better when defending that set-piece.
Denayer and Kone struggling a little at the moment. Llorente looked to get in behind and was sent to the ground, but referee Andre Marriner rightly waved play on - very little contact, if any. The Swans the side on top at the moment.
Hull City and Crystal Palace fans, look away now! What a game that should be at Selhurst Park between the pair tomorrow afternoon, although there is still plenty of football ahead of us in the North-East this afternoon.
Swansea finding life very easy at the moment, just attacking at will. They have only created the one chance, which Llorente made the most of, but at this rate they should have little trouble adding a second goal.
Moyes appears to have tinkered slightly but swapping Borini and Larsson around, but more is needed because the Swans are still very comfortable. Nearly a quarter of the game gone and the hosts yet to really do much of anything.
SAVE! The Black Cats concede a free kick in a dangerous position 20 yards from goal - very much Sigurdsson territory. The Iceman took it on, sending the ball up and over the wall, but it was comfortable for Pickford in the end.
SUNDERLAND SUB! I mentioned that Denayer was struggling a little earlier, well the injury picked up in the build-up to Swansea' opener has now forced him off. Darron Gibson the man to come on in his place.
Sigurdsson has now taken his tally to eight assists for Swansea in the top flight in 2017 - more than any other player. No change to the flow of the game, as the visitors are still completely dominating things with 26 minutes played.
Sunderland starting to see more of the ball over the past couple of minutes, but they have barely threatened the visitors' backline. Even with the Black Cats where they are in the table, I'm sure Clement was expecting a tougher test than this.
A deep cross into Swansea's box is headed as far as the edge of the box, where ex-Swan Borini blasts high over the bar on the volley. A shot for the hosts, at least, but they are still yet to test Fabianski in goal.
It goes from bad to worse for the home side. Soon after Denayer limped off, Anichebe has now pulled up with a hamstring injury and is likely to be replaced in the next few moments. The striker is soldiering on for the time being.
Soldier on Anichebe does, and he is almost rewarded through the hosts' best chance so far. Borini sent in a teasing cross, but Naughton managed to get a touch to the ball ahead of the injured Sunderland striker.
Swansea have looked a little flat over the past 10 minutes or so after what was a very dominant opening quarter to the match. The home side seeing more of the ball all of a sudden but still unable to test Fabianski.
SAVE! Defoe is left all alone when a corner falls nicely to him, but his snapshot is well blocked by the big frame of Fabianski. The Black Cats finally managing to put their opponents under some pressure in the final third.
SUNDERLAND SUB! Anichebe managed to last around eight minutes or so after pulling up with a hamstring injury. The striker, out of contract in the summer, is replaced by Khazri as we enter the final throes of the opening half.
City win themselves a corner, which is cleared by Sunderland at the first attempt and then the second when the ball is played back in. Very little in terms of chances in this first half, which Swansea have edged overall.
Moyes's men are lacking any real rhythm as we enter the final stages of the half. Swansea have been far from brilliant, creating just the one real chance, but they have been very comfortable and will happily continue this way for another 45 minutes.
This half has been petering out for a while now, but we have a further two more minutes of added time to come. Home fans getting a little frustrated now as their players are still struggling to create absolutely anything.
GOAL! SUNDERLAND 0-2 SWANSEA CITY (KYLE NAUGHTON)
It is hard to truly put into words just how bad Sunderland are. Swansea with a deserved second before the break, as Ki threaded the ball through for Naughton, who smashed it past Pickford from an angle for his first goal in 140 Prem outings.
HALF TIME: SUNDERLAND 0-2 SWANSEA CITY
Swansea City take what is just about a deserved two-goal lead into the break, courtesy of goals from Fernando Llorente and Kyle Naughton at the beginning and end of the half. Sunderland have been truly woeful, looking bereft of any ideas and heading towards another heavy home loss at this rate.
Paul Clement, boosted by an unchanged starting lineup for this match, saw his side take the lead through their first opening of the afternoon - Fernando Llorente getting to the ball ahead of Jordan Pickford with his head to open the scoring. It was a rare goalkeeping error from the Black Cats' key asset, who came well off his line but failed to get anything on Gylfi Sigurdsson's inch-perfect delivery.
Swansea were looking very comfortable in possession, helped by an extra body in midfield, and they nearly added a second when Sigurdsson cleared the wall with his free kick but was denied routinely enough by Pickford. There was very little for dejected home fans to feed off, with a Jermain Defoe snapshot 35 minutes in their only sight of goal, but Lukasz Fabianski was there to block it at his front post.
To make matters worse for under-fire home boss David Moyes, he lost both Jason Denayer and Victor Anichebe to injury inside the opening 40 minutes, only adding to their growing injury list. Swansea failed to really build on a dominant start to the afternoon but they did bag themselves a second just before the interval, finding a way through thanks to a bullet strike from Kyle Naughton at the end of a Ki Sung-yueng through-ball - his first goal in 140 Premier League outings.
David Moyes has already been forced to bring on Gibson and Khazri, so it is unlikely that he will make his third and final change at the break. Also little reason for Paul Clement to change things, with his side in the perfect position at this stage.
SUNDERLAND SUBS: Mannone, Djilobodji, Oviedo, Gooch, Rodwell
SWANSEA CITY SUBS: Nordtfelt, Van der Hoorn, Kingsley, Cork, Fer, Narsingh, Borja
RESTART! We are back under way at the Stadium of Light, where Sunderland have it all to do in their final home game of the season. Swansea just need to keep doing what they are doing, knowing that a precious victory is within sight.
As things stand Swansea are level on points with Palace, four ahead of Hull who travel to Selhurst Park tomorrow afternoon. With West Brom to come at home next weekend, the party can as good as start if things remain this way.
Sunderland appear to have matched things up in this second half in terms of formation, meaning that the two sides are essentially cancelling each other out. The onus is on the Black Cats to find a route back into the game.
A very quiet start to the second half, which the Black Cats have had the better of so far. That is mainly down to the visitors happily sitting back and soaking up any pressure. Thirty-eight minutes for them left to see through.
"We are staying up!" is the chant from the sold-out away stand. Victory today would not mathematically make certain of survival, but they would be as good as over the line unless things go seriously against them over the next week.
Defoe dropping incredibly deep at the moment, finding himself 50 yards away from goal and starting an attack which ends in a disappointing manner. One Sunderland goal changes everything, but it is difficult to work out where it will come from.
SHOT! Larsson, brought back into the starting lineup this afternoon, takes on the free kick from around 25 yards out. It deflects off the wall and into the arms of Fabianski, but Sunderland want a pen as they felt it hit Sigurdsson's arm.
An hour played at the Stadium of Light and chances are at a premium at the moment. That will suit Swansea just fine - all the pressure is on the home side to find a route back into this increasingly flat contest.
The minutes continue to tick down in the North-East and we are still awaiting that first chance of the second half. Larsson's deflected free kick - via the outstretched arm of Sigurdsson - the closest we have come to a goal.
Khazri goes down seemingly in quite a bit of pain. Sunderland play on and Borini's shot appeared to take a deflection to help it into the side-netting. Meanwhile, Larsson is still complaining about the penalty decision.
SHOT! Substitute Khazri has recovered from the injury he picked up a few minutes ago, getting on the end of the corner with a decent enough attempt from range. The shot ended a yard wide of the target in the end.
SWANSEA CITY SUB! Fer is on for Ki in the visitors' first change of the match, with the former Black Cat leaving to a strong applause. A case of Clement injecting a bit of energy now following a flat 20-minute spell.
CHANCE! Swansea perhaps guilty of sitting back a little too much at the moment, with Fer giving away a free kick 30 yards out. Fabianski parried Khazri's awkward attempt, before Billy Jones sent the rebound wide from close range.
That was just about the best the Black Cats have offered all afternoon. Jones was under pressure but should have been testing Fabianski at the very least, and with that miss surely goes Sunderland's hopes of rescuing a point.
A very quiet second half at the Stadium of Light just starting to become a little more entertaining as Sunderland win themselves a corner. Just when pressure was starting to build, Larsson sent the set-piece straight out of play.
It is the Black Cats who are asking all of the questions, to be fair to them. The quality has just been lacking, with the corner kick count rising but the chances proving to be hard to come by. Fifteen minutes left to play here.
SWANSEA CITY SUB! Britton, who has played a key role in Swansea's recent revival, is replaced by Jack Cork in a like-for-like change in central midfield. A case of keeping things ticking over now for these remaining minutes.
YELLOW CARD! Khazri can consider himself very lucky to still be on the pitch. The Tunisian lost the ball and then appeared to stamp on Sigurdsson, but referee Andre Marriner opted to show a yellow and not a red.
We are now into the final eight minutes of the match and there is very little to suggest that a grandstand finish will be on the cards. Naughton's goal right at the end of the first half all but sealed the victory for the rejuvenated Swans.
SAVE! Fabianski being made to work a little harder now, as Khazri's belter is again parried away. Defoe got on the end of it but saw him attempt deflect aside, with the Black Cats failing to make the most of the set-piece.
YELLOW CARD! Gibson halts a Swansea counter and become the third player to be booked. Home fans now making their way out of the ground in their numbers, clearly having seen enough and wanting the season to just end.
YELLOW CARD! The card count beginning to pile up now for frustrated Sunderland, as Borini becomes the fourth home player to be booked for his late challenge on Olsson. We are now into the final two minutes of the match.
SWANSEA CITY SUB! Llorente is replaced by Narsingh as we enter added time, of which we will play a further three minutes. Khazri gets another shot away, which Fabianski is again positioned well to keep out.
We are just 60 seconds or so away from full time at the Stadium of Light. Swansea fans greeting every pass now with chants of "Ole!" from the away stand, with both teams pretty much happy for referee Andre Marriner to blow his whistle.
FULL TIME: SUNDERLAND 0-2 SWANSEA CITY
The full-time whistle sounds at the Stadium of Light, putting Sunderland fans out of their misery. A disappointing home campaign ends with yet another defeat, with Swansea City earning a 2-0 victory that lifts them four clear of the dropzone. Safety is not yet assured, but first-half goals from Fernando Llorente and Kyle Naughton has put them on the brink.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from the North-East. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while rolling coverage of the evening kickoff between Stoke City and Arsenal is now under way elsewhere. Thanks for joining!
