Seven things we learnt in this weekend's Premier League Sunderland show stomach where Villa and Newcastle fall short

Is there such thing as the relegation nine-pointer? Of course not, otherwise Sunderland would be sitting on a points tally of 29 and well clear of the relegation zone they currently preside in. However, it felt like a crucial weekend in the Black Cats’ ambitions of staying in the top flight as their two nearest rivals – Aston Villa and Newcastle – put in two of their worst performances ever seen in the Premier League to ship a combined 11 goals. Newcastle were blown off the park at Stamford Bridge in the opening 20 minutes as Chelsea ran riot to score three early goals on their way to a 5-1 victory, but at least the Magpies bothered to show up. The same can’t be said for Villa, who put in their worst display of the season in the 6-0 defeat by Liverpool that suggests any hopes of staying up are long gone. While neither side showed he stomach required to be celebrating come 15 May, Sunderland certainly showed their up for the fight.

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