Dispirited and dejected Sunderland fans walked out of the Stadium of Light as Championship high-fliers Aston Villa heaped more misery on Chris Coleman's side with a thumping defeat.
The Black Cats have now lost 18 Championship games this season and sit rock bottom, staring in the face of consecutive relegations following their demotion from the Premier League last season.
And the insidious atmosphere at the north-east club appeared to come to a head on Tuesday night as Steve Bruce's men ran riot in their 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light.