However, the on-field body language and frantic decision-making betrayed a side low on confidence. The Black Cats started strongly, but once De Roon scored they lacked intensity, losing possession too easily to leave Moyes frustrated on the sidelines. The defence that allowed an unmarked De Roon to ghost in and score was culpable again minutes later as Stewart Downing ran through on goal but Jordan Pickford - one of Sunderland's few bright spots this season - made the stop. Sunderland looked slightly better going forward, with record signing Didier Ndong lashing a shot at Brad Guzan before Billy Jones headed the rebound over. However, in a tepid game where both sides struggled for rhythm, the Black Cats could not keep the pressure on for long. The boos the Sunderland players walked off to at half-time were amplified come the end of the match, with fans chanting "you're not fit to wear the shirt".
Middlesbrough have struggled at home this season and prior to this match had scored just 13 goals at the Riverside - the lowest of any top-flight team. They have also played out seven goalless draws, underlining their lack of threat in the final third. So it was perhaps no surprise they needed to profit from their opponents' carelessness to score the only goal of the game, with the unmarked De Roon sneaking in between Jones and John O'Shea before sliding the ball through Pickford's legs. Boro looked vulnerable after going in front, with Sunderland given too much space inside the area, leading to a number of scrambled clearances. The hosts held on, though, to end manager Steve Agnew's winless streak since taking over from the sacked Aitor Karanka in March. The result also meant Boro striker Rudy Gestede, brought on as a late substitute, finally ended a Premier League-record run of 43 games without a win.
