Outclassed but 3-0 winners: Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce says they have to get better

Sunderland’s 3-0 hammering of 10-man Newcastle United moved them above their bitter rivals in the Premier League, but the result failed to alter new manager Sam Allardyce’s opinion about the size of his task.

Goals from Adam Johnson, Billy Jones and Steven Fletcher eventually separated the two teams at the Stadium of Light, but Allardyce is experienced enough to know they were embarrassingly outclassed by Newcastle until the game was changed by a decision from referee Robert Madley in the dying moments of the first half.

Madley awarded a penalty and sent off Fabricio Coloccini after the Newcastle captain barged into Fletcher as the striker tried to reach a through ball that was almost in the grasp of goalkeeper Rob Elliot.

Allardyce, who became the fourth successive Sunderland manager to win this derby in his second game in charge, said: “We still have a lot of work to do because we have to be a lot better than we were today if we are going to get out of trouble.

“There is a long way to go and I am going to be pushing them to do better than this performance.”

Newcastle manager Steve McClaren was furious with Madley’s dubious call.

“The decision was wrong and unbelievable. Refs are part and parcel of the game who can affect the result and he has done that today,” he said.