Three heavy defeats in a row saw pressure suddenly rise on Lee Johnson and his Sunderland team as the winter period of heavy fixtures was about to set in. Sunderland had lost at home to Charlton Athletic and had followed it up with two very heavy defeats to Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday respectively.

Football English Premier League 2 Sunderland U21 vs Ipswich U21

George Hirst and Marcelino Nunez each score twice as Ipswich Town thrash Queens Park Rangers 4-1 at Loftus Road.