UNITED: Warner, Kelly, Butler, Kilgallon, Crainey, Stone (Carole 54), Douglas, Westlake, Lewis (Nicholls 46), Healy (Blake 63), Horsfield. Subs: Gregan, Moore.

SUNDERLAND: Alnwick, Cunningham, Whitehead (Lawrence 80), Murphy, Collins, R Elliott, Varga, Kavanagh, Connolly (S Elliott 43, Leadbitter 60) , Wallace, Miller. Subs: Ward, Collins,

Referee: A Marriner

United manager Kevin Blackwell made two changes from the side which lost to Wolves on Sunday with Geoff Horsfield and Steve Stone returning to the starting line-up.

Horsfield made his first start since August, following a four-match suspension, in place of Ian Moore, while Stone came in on the right for Seb Carole.

Summer signing Kevin Nicholls also pulled on a white shirt for the first time, following his recovery from a knee injury, and was handed a place among the substitutes.

Yet, while the Elland Road faithful were made to wait to see the £700,000 capture, they wasted little time in reminding old foe Roy Keane of their presence and the visiting Sunderland boss was treated to a hostile welcome.

The presence of Keane, and a lively home following, ensured a return to the atmosphere of old inside the ground and the two sides responded to the extra edge with a frenetic opening to the clash.

Referee Andre Marriner booked Graham Kavanagh, Ian Westlake and Paul Butler inside the opening 20 minutes as the game started at a fair old pace, but early chances were few and far between.

Indeed, the first real opportunity came midway through the opening period when Kavanagh unleashed a powerful shot wide of Tony Warner's left-hand post.

But disaster struck for United on 29 minutes when Robbie Elliott fed Ross Wallace and he duly supplied the pass for former Leeds loan man Liam Miller to slide the ball beneath Warner to give the visitors the lead.

And Warner had to be at his best six minutes later when he did well to palm away a powerful effort from Kavanagh.

Sunderland's diminutive Irishman made no mistake on the stroke of half-time, though, when he latched onto a ball over the top before a delivering a superb strike to leave Warner with no chance.

United began the second half with Nicholls making his debut, in place of Eddie Lewis, and United needed something special to pull this game round but they suffered another blow in the third minute of the half when Sunderland went into a 3-0 lead. This time it was Stephen Elliott who found the net, firing in an angled shot from the right after the ball had been flicked on for him.

There really was a mountain for United to climb now. Seb Carole came on for Stone in the 54th minute and when they did push forward, Matthew Kilgallon headed just wide from a right wing cross.

With a three-goal advantage, Sunderland were playing with great confidence and rarely looked like surrendering their lead. When United did move forward they found the visitors' defence in resolute mood.

Sunderland keeper, Ben Alnwick, had rarely been troubled by United, who had to settle for a 3-0 defeat.