Bottom club, Sunderland’s, hopes of avoiding relegation suffered another setback as Manchester United eased to victory to climb to fifth in the table.
Sunderland played with 10 men for more than 45 minutes after Sebastian Larsson’s controversial red card for a challenge on Ander Herrera.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had already put United ahead with a sublime, curling 20-yard effort. Henrikh Mkhitaryan made it 2-0 before Marcus Rashford drilled in the third. Sunderland are 10 points from safety with just seven games left and have not scored for seven matches.
United, who move above Arsenal, are four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City with one game in hand over their neighbours. This was Sunderland’s 21st league defeat in 31 games this season, while they have now gone 11 hours and 15 minutes without scoring in the top-flight.
It is hard to see where another win is going to come from and the Black Cats’ relegation to the Championship could be confirmed as soon as 26 April – with five games remaining.
Sunderland were not helped by an injury to Bryan Oviedo, which cut short the defender’s afternoon, while Larsson’s contentious straight red card for going over the top of the ball on Herrera ended any realistic chance of a win before the interval.
Larsson, who was furious with referee Craig Pawson’s decision, now faces a suspension for his first Premier League dismissal in what was his 278th appearance in the competition.
Moments before the red card, Victor Anichebe had been denied by United’s Argentina keeper Sergio Romero, who was starting in place of the injured David de Gea.
Jermain Defoe went close from 20 yards after the interval but the Black Cats have lost six of their last seven games and look drained of any confidence.
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