The first half of the season went well for club, finding themselves in a comfortable 11th position by the end of January, boasting a strong home form going into the February.
However, a run of 4 consecutive defeats against Aston Villa, Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hospur saw them slip down to 16th by March.
Sunderland lost 1–0 to Wimbledon on the final day of the season; with Coventry City's win at Tottenham, the Wearsiders were relegated.
On a high note, Sunderland did manage to beat Chelsea (3–0), Arsenal (1–0) and Manchester United (2–1) all at home during the season.
Source: Statto Sunderland's score comes first[1] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.