Preston remain right in the thick of a battle for a play-off place in the Championship after recording a 2-0 win that has pushed Sunderland closer to the drop.
Former Cork City striker Sean Maguire put Alex Neil's on track with his seventh goal in as many matches five minutes after the break.
And then, after Sunderland defender Jake Clarke-Salter was red carded for the second time in a red and white shirt, Callum Robinson headed in the visitors' second in the 63rd minute.
After that Sunderland, whose fans jeered and booed after witnessing another positive start come to nothing, could not find a way back in the freezing temperatures and the fall into League One looks on the cards.
Preston North End
