Manchester United made the trip to Sunderland knowing that a victory would open up an 18-point advantage over rivals Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
As it was, an own goal from Titus Bramble, who diverted a shot from Robin van Persie into the Sunderland net was enough for the visitors to claim all three points at the Stadium of Light.
You can find out how the match unfolded with our minute-by-minute commentary below.
11.47amMorning all. Why can't it be Easter weekend every weekend?! There is so much football on! The latest offering is a Premier League encounter between two clubs that need the points for very different reasons. Whatever happens, it should make for an intriguing match.
11.50amThere is no team news just yet, but United's in particular will be interesting to see. They play Chelsea on Easter Monday, which has resulted in reports that Sir Alex Ferguson could make wholesale alterations to his starting lineup. Mind you, having said that, whoever he sticks out on the field should be more than capable.
11.52amHow is that for timing? Just after that last post, Sunderland release their starting lineup. Here who has made the cut for the home team...
11.53amSUNDERLAND XI: Mignolet; Bardsley, Rose, O'Shea, Bramble; N'Diaye, Gardner, McClean, Johnson, Sessegnon; Graham
11.55amSo, following the news that leading goalscorer Steven Fletcher would be out for the remainder of the season, Martin O'Neill has opted to play Danny Graham as a lone striker today. He will be supported by Stephane Sessegnon in an advanced midfield role, while former Man United full-back Phil Bardsley comes into the team.
11.56amAnd here is what Man United boss Ferguson has gone for...
11.57amMAN UNITED XI: De Gea; Rafael, Smalling, Vidic, Buttner; Valencia, Anderson, Carrick, Young; Kagawa; Van Persie
12.01pmSo, as expected, there are number of changes to that United team. There is no Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney or Ryan Giggs - they are not even in the squad. However, there are places in the team for Chris Smalling, who will partner Nemanja Vidic at the back, as well as Alexander Buttner, Anderson and Shinji Kagawa. Although it is a 4-5-1 formation, it's still an attacking selection from Ferguson.
12.05pmWhile we are at, let's inform you of who will be sitting on both benches:
SUNDERLAND: Larsson, Wickham, Kilgallon, Colback, Mangane, Mandron, Westwood
MAN UNITED: Evra, Evans, Nani, Welbeck, Cleverley, Powell, Lindegaard
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12.09pmOne thing that may be of concern for Sunderland fans will be a possible backlash from United. On the final day of last season, United won 1-0 at the Stadium of Light and thought they had won the title. Everybody knows what happened after that and the Sunderland faithful took great delight in Manchester City's success. Several United players have said that they haven't forgotten that reaction, so revenge is bound to be on their minds.
12.14pmUnsurprisingly, Ferguson has not forgotten the celebrations of the Sunderland fans either. Here is a speech that he made at the conclusion of the last campaign and you get the impression that something similar will be said in the dressing room today:
12.18pmAnother cause for concern for the home team will be the return to goalscoring form of Robin van Persie. The summer signing from Arsenal has not scored in his last seven games for Man United, but he found the net three times while on international duty with Holland last week. With his confidence now high, no doubt he will be looking to kickstart his Premier League season again.
12.23pmAnd one final negative for the home team (I'll try to be more positive shortly) is the fact that they haven't beaten United in their last 21 attempts in the Premier League. That goes all the way back to March 1997 when Sunderland were playing their home matches at Roker Park. They have beaten United in the League Cup since then - a result that was achieved in November 2000.
12.27pmRight then, positives Sunderland fans. I've got to be honest, they are not jumping out at me. One could be the fact that O'Neill would become the first manager to beat United with three Premier League clubs should his side be successful. Granted it's not much, but it's something!
12.32pmFerguson has just been talking to Sky Sports News ahead of this fixture. Here is some of what he had to say:
"We've looked at the issue of tiredness. Wayne Rooney came back pretty tired. It's always difficult when there is a short space of time between games. Today is important to us. Our priority is to win the Premier League."
12.36pmLet's get some more pre-match chat shall we? Someone with a foot in both camps is Wes Brown. He came through the ranks at Old Trafford but has since joined Sunderland. Here are some quotes from the former England defender.
"It's a big game and hopefully we can get a result. The boys will be ready to go," he told the club's official website.
"Manchester United aren't going to be complacent, not at all. They'll be focused on the game and looking to make sure there's no chance of Man City catching up. But we need points too and that starts on Saturday.
"We've just got to work and play as a team. We have the ability, it's just up to us to make sure we stick together and work hard."
12.41pmRight then, here come the players. There's a decent noise coming from the Sunderland fans. That will help their team because they are likely to be up against it today. Man United are bound to have more possession, so it's all about how well the home team defend.
12.43pmQuick tweet from Javier Hernandez, who has been left back in Manchester: "Come on united!!" - Short and simple!
1 minGame on! Sunderland, kicking from left to right, get this important Premier League fixture started.
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4 minSAVE! First save of the day for Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and he will be hoping that they are all like that. It's a cross from deep by Rafael, which is flicked goalwards by Van Persie. The effort is lacking in power though and Mignolet is able to hold with ease.
8 minWhat a waste from Ashley Young, who hasn't scored for United this season. He has a free kick to the left-hand side of the penalty area in a really good position. However, he seems caught between crossing and shooting, which results in his effort flying harmlessly wide of the target.
12 minSAVE! Mignolet is again called into action and by the most unlikely of sources as well. United full-back Alexander Buttner bursts through a challenge with Craig Gardner and finds the goal at his mercy. The Sunderland keeper races off his line though and is able to block the Dutch defender's poked effort. It's the visitors that are looking the more dangerous at the moment.
17 minIt's still all United. They've forced three corners, but Sunderland have managed to deal with all of them. While they haven't created too much, it seems as though it is only a matter of time before they break the deadlock. Sunderland are sitting so deep that when they get the ball, they do not have many players in an advanced position.
22 minOne player that the home team are struggling to contain is Shinji Kagawa. He is playing in a free role for United and is consistently picking up the ball with a lot of space around him in the middle of the pitch. It doesn't look as though a Sunderland player has been assigned to him.
25 minBOOKING! The first yellow of the afternoon goes to Sunderland midfielder Alfred N'Diaye. He's not happy about it, but replays show that he was late on Antonio Valencia.
27 minGOAL! Sunderland 0-1 Man United (Bramble, OG)
29 minI said it would only be a matter of time before United broke the deadlock and now they have. Credit to Robin van Persie, because despite the fact that he had very little on, he cut in from the left and drilled the ball across goal. It may not have been heading for the net, but an outstretched leg from an unfortunate Titus Bramble diverts it into the goal. There is a sinking feeling around the Stadium of Light right now.
33 minSUBSTITUTION: An early change for United as an injured Rafael limps off to be replaced by Jonny Evans. The Irish defender gets a decent reception from the home faithful, having done well during a loan spell at the Stadium of Light earlier in his career. His introduction will mean that Chris Smalling pushes out to right-back, with Evans slotting in alongside Nemanja Vidic.
36 minA quick tweet from Joey Barton: "Everything Van Persie touches goes in. On fire."
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39 minAnd another tweet - this time from the chaps at Opta: "Manchester United have dropped only four points from the previous 17 PL games that they'd scored the first goal in this season. Grip."
42 minSAVE! Van Persie wins a free kick 20 yards from goal and dusts himself down to take it. His strike is blessed with a lot of power, but it flies straight at Mignolet and he is able to push the ball over the bar for a corner. Young whips that over, but Smalling heads wide of the target.
45 minThere will be a minimum of one minute of stoppage time.
45+1 minHALF-TIME: Sunderland 0-1 Man United
1.34pmWell, the only positive from a Sunderland point of view is the fact that they are still in the game. United have been much the better side, having seen more of the ball and created numerous openings. The hosts need to commit more men forward when they do gain possession. Yes it would leave more gaps at the back which is potentially dangerous, but so far they've posed no threat to the United rearguard.
1.37pmHere is what Jimmy Armfield, who is working for BBC Sport, thinks of that half:
"It has been an extremely comfortable 45 minutes for Manchester United. Sunderland are suffering a lack of confidence and are playing well below the standard I know they can play. They have not given the home crowd enough and if I was Martin O'Neill I would really lay into them at half-time and say come on 'let's have some real passion'."
1.40pmAnd here are some words from former Man United full-back Gary Neville, who is working as pundit for Sky Sports News:
"Sunderland aren't going forward. It's winding me up and I don't even want them to win."
1.44pmOne change that O'Neill may consider to his team is the introduction of Sebastian Larsson. It was a bit of surprise that he was benched to be honest. The Swede has a very, very dangerous right foot - something that could prove useful from free kicks and corners. He is also capable of scoring from distance.
45 minRight, the players have resurfaced and United have got the second half started. How will Sunderland respond during the second 45 minutes? Let's see.
49 minBOOKING! What an awful five seconds from John O'Shea. The Sunderland defender lands a header straight at the feet of Van Persie and then he opts to trip up the United striker. He's booked for his troubles and United have a free kick in a dangerous area, but Danny Rose is able to head clear.
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54 minThere's been very little change at the start of this half. The visitors are virtually seeing all of the possession and are coming under no pressure. Again, it looks only a matter of time before they score another goal.
58 minBOOKING! It's a yellow for Van Persie, who looks a little perplexed. You can understand why, because although his boot was raised, he made no contact with Gardner. The Sunderland midfielder falls to the floor clutching his head though and convinces Kevin Friend to dish out a caution to the United striker.
61 minSome potentially bad news for United because their keeper David de Gea, who has very little to do today, is down following a clash of heads with his own defender Vidic. He's flat out inside the six yard box at the moment as the United medical staff attend to him. It looks an extremely nasty clash.
63 minThe good news is that he's now up on his feet, but looks a little confused. The Sunderland fans for some reason are jeering him. They obviously think he was faking the injury. When they see the replays later, they'll realise how wrong they are. The game has now restarted as well.
67 minSince De Gea's injury, Sunderland seem to have woken up. They are now seeing much more of the ball and are putting plenty of pressure on their United counterparts. The crowd are reacting as well. There is much more noise inside the Stadium of Light. For the sake of the match, it was much needed.
72 minHalf a chance for United as Buttner bursts down the left wing unopposed. In the middle he has Van Persie and Kagawa waiting for the ball, but his low cross is just about cleared by Bramble, who sticks out his leg to ease the danger. A better cross there and United would surely have been 2-0 up.
75 minBOOKING! It's yellow for Bardsley, who can count himself very lucky that he is still on the pitch. He catches Buttner on the thigh with a late sliding challenge. Other referees may have issued a red card there.
77 minSUBSTITUTION: A disappointed looking Adam Johnson comes trudging off and he is replaced by teenage striker Connor Wickham. That means that the home will now play a 4-4-2, with Wickham coming on to partner Danny Graham in attack.
79 minSUBSTITUTION: Second switch of the afternoon for the away team as the lively Kagawa is taken off in favour of former Sunderland loanee Danny Welbeck. Sunderland also make a swap as full-back Bardsley comes off and Larsson enters the action.
81 minSAVE! Buttner has been a threat all afternoon going forward for United and he almost sealed the match with a rising right footed effort from the edge of the area. Mignolet gets across his line well though and is able to turn the ball around the post.
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85 minSUBSTITUTION: Final swap of the encounter for United as a tired Anderson takes a slow exit and is replaced by England midfielder Tom Cleverley. The hosts also make their last change as Rose comes off and on in his place is Jack Colback.
90 minSunderland have six minutes of stoppage time to find an equaliser. That is thanks largely to the injury that De Gea suffered earlier in the half.
90+3 minAt the moment, United are seeing out the stoppage time with ease. They are keeping the ball very well and are frustrating Sunderland, who are giving away needless free kicks, which is slowing down the play.
90+6 minFULL TIME: Sunderland 0-1 Man United
2.39pmWell, it was a little better from Sunderland after the break, but they have barely forced a save from De Gea over the whole 96 minutes. It's now 50 points from the last 54 United and it just a matter of when and not if they regain the title. They've gained revenge for last season as well.
2.41pmThat's all we have time for from the Stadium of Light. Thanks for joining us this afternoon and be sure to stick with Sports Mole over the day for coverage of all the football from at home and abroad. Until next time, goodbye.
