On home turf

mole who took a touch and rifled his finish into the roof of the net from around 12 yards.

Sunderland would have been out of sight by the break had they taken their chances. Morgan’s through-ball released Mcgeady in the left-hand channel but he could not beat Letheren from a tight angle.

Then, in injury time, at the end of the first period, Letheren made two saves in quick succession, first to push away Mcgeady’s shot from just outside the box, and then when the ball came back into the area, to thwart Will Grigg from close range.

Plymouth were clearly given a halftime rollocking because they improved markedly after the break.

Just before the hour, Graham Carey saw a shot from inside the area deflected wide for a corner but despite Plymouth’s protests that it had hit an arm, referee Graham Salisbury was unmoved.

Ashley Smith-brown sent a shot narrowly wide of the right-hand post.

And Jon Mclaughlin had to get down smartly to his left to push away a 25-yard effort from David Fox, with Threlkeld putting his follow-up shot into the sidenetting from a tight angle.

But Sunderland killed the game off three minutes from time when Mcgeady crossed from the left, sub Watmore knocked ball down and Honeyman swept home on the turn from inside the six-yard box.

And they could have added a third goal in injury time when Watmore raced away down the right with Grigg and Mcgeady in support with only one defender between them and substitute keeper Matt Macey, but Watmore’s pass was poor and it was cut out.