Sunderland looked the more likely to score early on, but the hosts went in front after 14 minutes as Crysencio Summerville powered a header home from Jarrod Bowen’s cross.

Trai Hume‘s trip on Ollie Scarles soon gave West Ham a chance to double their lead from the spot, and Bowen stepped up to bury his penalty past Robin Roefs.

Things went from bad to worse for the Black Cats just before the break as Mateus Fernandes’ long-range strike found the top-left corner to make it 3-0.

Brian Brobbey pulled one back for Sunderland in the 66th minute, and Luke O’Nien nearly made it 3-2 five minutes from time as his dipping cross was pushed onto the crossbar by Alphonse Areola.

A goalmouth scramble in added-time saw the Hammers score to make it 4-1, but it was ruled out for a foul by Tomas Soucek on Roefs, and it ended 3-1.

Brian Brobbey was a shining light on a tough day for Sunderland

Brobbey arrived at Sunderland from Ajax in the summer window, and while it took him some time to find his feet in England, he now looks to be firing on all cylinders.

He followed up recent strikes against Tottenham and Crystal Palace with a consolation at the London Stadium, as he ghosted into the hosts’ area unmarked and took his header well to beat Areola.

The burly Dutchman was one of the few positives for the visitors as he won fouls with relative ease and simply made himself a nuisance throughout, while his teammates faltered.

Brobbey earns a 7/10 rating for his performance, which is enough to see him named as Sunderland’s man of the match.

Reinildo had a shocker up against Bowen before being hooked

Reinildo has been a regular for Sunderland since joining last summer, with this his 13th Premier League start and potentially his worst performance yet.

The Mozambique international recently returned from AFCON, and will have wished he was back in Morocco throughout the first half as Bowen gave him a torrid time down the Hammers’ right wing.

He failed to stop his cross for West Ham’s opener, and won just one of his five ground duels and one of his two aerial duels in the 48 minutes he played.

Reinildo was sent off against Aston Villa in September, and could well have been given his marching orders in this clash as he committed a late foul on Bowen while on a booking.

He has been given a 2/10 after being hooked off at half-time for Dennis Cirkin, who looked much fitter and more assured as the Black Cats kept a second-half clean sheet.

West Ham player ratings vs Sunderland

• Robin Roefs – 3
• Nordi Mukiele – 5
• Omar Alderete – 4
• Dan Ballard – 4
• Reinildo – 2
• Trai Hume – 3
• Enzo Le Fee – 4
• Noah Sadiki – 4
• Romaine Mundle – 3
• Brian Brobbey – 7
• Eliezer Mayenda – 4

Substitutes

• Dennis Cirkin (on for Reinildo 45′) – 6
• Habib Diarra (on for Trai Hume 45′) – 6
• Chemsdine Talbi (on for Mundle 45′) – 5
• Wilson Isidor (on for Mayenda 75′) – 5
• Luke O’Nien (on for Mukiele 83′) – 6