It was not a win of emphatic proportions for Manchester United, given that they brought minimal spectacle to the party and were helped substantially on their way by the highly questionable dismissal of Sebastian Larsson in the first half’s closing moments.

But while the red card provided David Moyes with extenuating circumstances for defeat, there is an overwhelming sense that his side – four points adrift, one point in seven games and not a solitary goal in 675 minutes of Premier League football – have given up the ghost. The boos at the end were muffled and half-hearted, much like the performance.

It was on the corresponding weekend last season that Sam Allardyce’s Sunderland faced down the prospective champions Leicester City on the Wearside afternoon when Claudio Ranieri shed tears. They scrapped to the death that day, even though they were vanquished by Jamie Vardy. The defending initially had some intent on this occasion, with the Belgian Jason Denayer offering a flicker of light in the darkness, but there was neither energy nor belief to counter attack with.

Mkhitaryan scored the second 47 seconds after the break (Getty)

Moyes urged them to break up field at pace when they had turned possession over - to no avail. It is a mystery how some of the stars of Allardyce’s resurrected Sunderland team, like Wahbi Khazri, have fallen out of favour with the manager. This midfield of his was anaemic. Survival was “still as difficult; probably more difficult. There’s no disguising the fact it’s difficult,” admitted Moyes who must on Monday provide his observations to the FA on his “slap” comments to BBC reporter Vicki Sparks.

To his credit, he did not attempt to hide behind the red card. “I’m not blaming referees. Our position is where we are. We’re bottom of the league,” he said and there was no evidence that they would have claimed a point with all 11 men at their disposal.

Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Jordan Pickford – 5 out of 10 Made a handful of important stops, but he was helpless for the three United goals. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Billy Jones – 5 out of 10 Had very little impact on the game, aside from a few of clearances. Incredibly mediocre display. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Jason Denayer – 7 out of 10 He ran the defensive line, tackled relentlessly and was tremendous in the air. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Lamine Kone – 5 out of 10 The defender invited trouble upon himself by allowing the ball to bounce in the box and failing to clear his lines. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Bryan Oviedo – 6 out of 10 Defended courageously but was subbed in the early stages due to a hamstring injury. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Sebastian Larsson – 3 out of 10 Saw a red card for a studs-up challenge on Herrera. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Jack Rodwell – 5 out of 10 Drifted in and out of the game. Lacked service, but that’s no excuse for a player of his calibre. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Lee Cattermole – 6 out of 10 The skipper’s confidence was evident – he was one of the only Sunderland players to test Romero with a strike. Man Utd via Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Didier Ndong – 5 out of 10 The 22-year-old was sloppy and wasteful with the ball. He failed to capitalise on any possession. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Victor Anichebe – 5 out of 10 Had a key chance to level the scoring from close range, but was denied by Romero. Aside from that, it was a quiet display. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Jermain Defoe – 5 out of 10 Aside from two late efforts, you could have been excused for not realising the striker was on the pitch today. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Sergio Romero – 6 out of 10 He looked unbeatable today, but this was enhanced by the lack of action in the United area. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Matteo Darmian – 6 out of 10 Progressed well up the pitch and provided constant service to the United midfield. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Eric Bailly – 5 out of 10 Lost a number of 50/50 challenges and aerial balls – certainly room for improvement. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Marcos Rojo – 5 out of 10 The majority of his tackles were clumsy and late, which was giving Sunderland unnecessary possession. Man Utd via Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Luke Shaw – 6 out of 10 The defender looked menacing going forward and his deliveries into the box were impressive. Man Utd via Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Marouane Fellaini – 5 out of 10 Failed to play like a captain – lost a number of challenges and wasted possession on several occasions. AFP/Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Ander Herrera – 8 out of 10 A top display from the midfielder. He assisted Ibrahimovic’s goal and created chances throughout. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Jesse Lingard – 7 out of 10 He was oozing confidence and was not afraid to take a strike on goal to test Pickford. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Paul Pogba – 7 out of 10 An encouraging display from the Frenchman – he was energetic, passed well and tackled relentlessly. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 7 out of 10 His goal was an example of his limitless ability. He created his goal out of nowhere and it put the game to bed just after the interval. Getty Images Sunderland 0 Manchester United 3 player ratings Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 9 out of 10 An inspiring display all round and his goal was a moment of individual magic. Faultless. AFP/Getty Images

Moyes’ claim that “it’s not even a booking” was valid, though. Larsson and Ander Herrera both went for a stray ball in midfield. The Swede made contact with the ball and caught Herrera as he followed through with a boot which was a football’s height from the ground. It was not a reckless challenge, nor one in which Larsson was out of control. The inconsistencies of referee Craig Pawson screamed out, thereafter: Lamine Kone was not even booked for placing his studs onto substitute Marcus Rashford’s foot.

The dismissal left United, already a goal to the good, to pick off three points. The first half’s single moment of class had already sent them ahead: Zlatan Ibrahimovic receiving a Herrera pass, back to goal, and ripping into a pocket of space to his left which, with the reactions of full back Billy Jones and Lamine Kone too slow, allowed the striker to despatch a 28th goal of his extraordinary season into the bottom right hand corner.

Sebastian Larsson was shown a straight red card for a foul on Ander Herrera (Reuters)

The second half was 46 seconds old when the lead was doubled by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, which said something for Moyes’ powers of motivation. The 28-year-old drifted into the left hand side of the Sunderland area to receive a ball from Matteo Darmian and send it through Kone’s legs and beyond Jordan Pickford. The goalkeeper might have reacted faster.

Any hope that Moyes' players would be motivated out of a sense of injustice to give the game some fight soon evaporated. The best of their frail offering was an effort from Jermain Defoe, who took a ball from Didier Ndong towards the United area and fired over the bar.

Rashford got his first goal in 22 league games (Getty)

Mourinho had not exactly demonstrated ambition, either. He fielded a three-defensive midfield and retaining the two players of pace – Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial – on the bench against the division’s weakest side. There are times when his selection seems part of a strategy to minimise United’s threat and demonstrate the need for spending this summer. Yet they have leapfrogged Arsenal and if they can damage Chelsea next Sunday, the Manchester derby on April 27 could still be a top four knock-out. “If we [didn’t] win today it's almost mathematically impossible [to make the top four,” Mourinho said.

His two young forwards did arrive eventually though United’s best chance fell to Paul Pogba, who thundered an Ibrahimovic knock down over the bar when he had time to pick his spot. Rashford finished things up, when an intelligent return pass to him from the string-puller Ibrahimovic confounded Denayer and allowed the Englishman to send a low shot beyond Pickford. It was a morgue by the end, from a Sunderland perspective, with swathes of empty seats vacated by supporters who’d decided there were better ways of spending a warm spring afternoon.

Sunderland: (4-1-4-1) Pickford; Jones, Kone, Denayer, Oviedo (Manquillo 38); Cattermole (Borini xx); Ndong, Rodwell, Larsson, Anichebe; Defoe. Substitutes: Mannone, Djilobodji, Khazri, Pienaar, Gibson

Manchester United: (4-1-4-1) Romero; Darmian, Rojo, Bailly, Shaw (Blind xx); Fellaini, Herrera, Pogba; Lingard (Rashford xx), Ibrahimovic, Mkhitaryan (Martial xx). Substitutes: Carrick, Fosu-Mensah, Tuanzebe, Pereira