Gabbiadini blitz sees Cats raise white flag

SUNDERLAND will go ahead with a winter break to New York this week as they face a big grapple to stay in the Premier League.

Manager David Moyes will still take his squad to the Big Apple tomorrow in a trip arranged in the wake and euphoria of their surprise 4-0 win at Crystal Palace.

After suffering a demoralising defeat by the same scoreline to Claude Puel’s side yesterday, Moyes is hoping the break comes at the right time.

The Sunderland boss said: “This doesn’t change anything. As a manager you try and lead and do the right things and you have to stand by your decisions.

“We will still keep to the plan. The break might be what we need. Sometimes things like that can really help.

“We cannot escape from the fact that this was a really disappointing result and performance – particularly the second half.

“This was a big opportunity for us. The biggest disappointment is that there was a good chance of getting out of the bottom three and building on the really good results against Spurs and Palace. And we have not taken it.”

The only ones who have really deserved a trip away this week are the Southampton players. They, like Sunderland, are not in FA Cup action next weekend.

Puel has given his players the first four days of this week off with their families before taking them away to Spain, where their preparations for the EFL Cup Final against Manchester United will begin.

His players will no doubt come back r e f re shed , and certainly invigorated by their biggest win since he took charge on the South Coast.

Puel said: “It was a fantastic game for us. It was difficult to come here against a team playing with confidence after their last results and the difference was the attitude of the players.

“It was very important to react to our last results and give a good answer, and hopefully this is the first game in a good cycle for us.

“Now they have four days off holiday with their families b e c au s e th e y deserve this, and after we can prepare for the next game, a little game.” S u n d e rl a n d ’ s h o p es were buried by a familiar name on Wearside. Manolo Gabbiadini is no relation to the Sunderland striking legend Marco but has the same instinctive goalscoring touch as the York-born half-Italian Black Cats star of the 1980s.

Gabbi a d i n i opened the scoring on the half-hour mark, although the final touch appeared to come off his shoulder after Ryan Bertrand’s teasing left-wing cross had evaded the top of Lamine Kone’s head.

“It hit his arm and it should not have been given,” said Moyes. “But it was a difficult one for the referee to see.”

There was no doubt about the quality of his second. Gabbiadini turned in the area, effortlessly sneaking in between John O’Shea and Kone to finish, after the Black Cats’ third centre- back Jason Denayer had been suitably embarrassed by Dusan Tadic’s clever feet and pass.

Moyes withdrew O’Shea for Steven Pienaar at the interval and Sunderland totally disintegrated, as their stadium emptied.

Their first shot on target came in the 65th minute when Didier Ndong hit a weak, bobbling effort from 25 yards, easily saved by Fraser Forster.

And that was about as good as it got for Sunderland as the visitors added two in the last two minutes.

Bertrand clipped in a cross which evaded substitute Shane Long and Vito Mannone but it hit the diving Denayer who hammered the ball into the roof of the net.

Long completed Sunderland’s misery with another clinical finish after the Ireland striker and James Ward-Prowse had torn through the home side’s feeble defence.

Wahbi Khazri and Pienaar did have late efforts for a consolation but this was a dismal day to forget for Sunderland.