Sunderland vs Manchester United player ratings: Goalscoring hero Lamine Kone stars as Michael Carrick disappoints

Man-for-man marking from Sunderland's 2-1 victory over United

Lamine Kone celebrates scoring the winner against Manchester United (Getty Images)

Manchester United slumped to a 2-1 defeat by Sunderland on Saturday in the Premier League’s early kick-off and risk being seven points off the top four come the end of the weekend.

With title rival Leicester and Arsenal facing each other as well as Tottenham and Manchester City, this weekend represented the perfect chance to make ground on the clubs ahead of them.

An opener from Wahbi Khazri and a David De Gea own goal was enough to see off United, whose only reply came in Anthony Martial’s effort shortly before half-time.

For Sunderland, the victory lifts them above Norwich in the Premier League table, and while they remain in the bottom three, the Black Cats are just one point behind city rivals Newcastle.

The result adds to the woes suffered by manager Louis van Gaal this season and intensifies calls from the fans for him to be sacked in the summer.

So how did the players respond? Click on the gallery below to find out.

Who was your man of the match? Leave your thoughts in the comment box below.