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The game was the first in a new era for Sunderland with new chairman/manager Niall Quinn in charge of the Black Cats but it was Carlisle who looked slightly more up for the game in the opening stages. Some stout defending by the visitors saw the Cumbrians create little on the day however, although hitting too many long balls up against a tall back-line well marshalled by Irish international Kenny Cunningham didn't help.
Boo boy and all-round pantomime villain Liam Lawrence got his first dive of the day in as early as the sixth minute when he was snipered in the box, referee Colin Webster unsurprisingly waving away his weak penalty claim. Two minutes later the lively Stephen Elliott looked to get a shot on the turn in for the visitors but Peter Murphy did well to block it out for a corner.
United were getting some joy in down the flanks through Kevin Gall and Paul Murray early on but all too often the final ball was lacking, and, in all honesty, the Blues never really tested the two Sunderland keepers used all afternoon. In the 13th minute Lawrence set-up Dan Smith after a corner but his 18-yard effort was easy for Westwood to take, ex-Mackem Michael Bridges having the same problem at the other end as he fired his effort from the edge of the visitors box straight at visitors keeper Ben Alnwick.
Stephen Elliott and ex-Blackburn man Jon Stead got a couple of shots in from distance but both efforts flew well over Keiren Westwood's crossbar. Aranalde had a dangerous free-kick headed clear by the Mackems defence on 20 minutes, then Stead was a bit greedy when he had a shot blocked as Stephen Elliott stood unmarked in the Carlisle penalty area screaming for a pass. After 25 minutes Danny Collins headed over when well placed from a Lawrence corner, then Lawrence himself drove a shot off-target as Sunderland started to up the pace a little.
Aranalde did well for the Blues on 32 minutes to stop Stead setting up Stephen Elliott, then Westwood was forced into a good tip over his bar from a 22-yard Dean Whitehead free-kick as the Mackems really started to get on top. Moments later Stephen Caldwell could really have done better for the visitors when he headed a Lawrence cross over, but it mattered little as Sunderland took the lead just sixty seconds later with Stead's goal
Shortly afterwards, as the Cumbrians looked to get straight back into it, Murphy had a 25-yard free-kick tipped over by Alnwick. Then just before the first-half ended Murphy sent a great ball up to Bridges, the Carlisle striker taking the ball in well on his chest, but he could only fire a volley in across the six-yard box and out for a Sunderland goal-kick. The teams went down the tunnel seconds later with the visitors holding what looked like a comfortable one goal advantage.
Ex-Newcastle left-back Robbie Elliott continued his trial spell with the Black Cats when he replaced Danny Collins at the interval, then just a minute into the second half Stephen Elliott's shot was deflected wide after a clever Stead knock-down. The Blues got a few good crosses into the box again but with no targetman on the pitch they never looked really like doing anything from them, although Bridges really should have got his header on target from only six yards out after an excellent Aranalde left-wing cross in.
After 58 minutes Stead headed straight at Westwood from an Robbie Elliott ball in then, bang on the hour-mark, the somewhat ungainly Nyron Nosworthy sent a shot many a mile wide after good set-up play by Stead and Stephen Elliott. The ex-Mansfield boo boy Lawrence was always going to score after receiving a barracking throughout, and it really was a classic pantomime villain goal from the bleach blonde diving machine when it came in the 62nd minute.
Picking the ball up 25 yards out from the Carlisle goal he tried to get a right-footed shot in which he almost completely missed as he swung at the ball and sliced it about two yards to his right-hand side. Just as the ironic cheers were booming around Brunton Park he turned back on to his left foot and sent a chip in which looked a relatively easy effort for Westwood to handle. The United keeper seemed to completely lose his balance though as he stepped back to save the shot, and he could only end up palming the ball into the roof of his own net, much to the chagrin of the United faithful and delight of the travelling Sunderland fans.
Straight from there midfielder Neale McDermott carried on his trial period with the Cumbrians when he came on to replace one-time Sunderland youth-teamer Chris Lumsdon. Gall was again looking the most likely player in a Blue shirt to conjure up a goal, but it was Lawrence who was soon in the thick of the action again as he forced a good save out of Westwood, Murphy completing the parried clearance as he hacked the ball away for a corner.
Karl Hawley had about his only shot at goal on a very quiet day for the Carlisle hotshot in the 74th minute, but his low effort only flew into Alnwick's side-netting from 20 yards out. A flurry of Sunderland substitutions seemed to have broken up the rhythm of play from the middle of the half onwards, and it was United's turn to make their second change of the day in the 76th minute when Bridges was replaced by Derek Holmes. Bridges leaving the field to a unsurprisingly healthy ovation from both sets of supporters.
Simon Hackney came on for Paul Murray after 79 minutes, and he almost scored two minutes later when his attempted lob over substitute keeper Ben Carson went just wide of the far-post. Carson having got little distance as he tried to punch a Gall cross clear, both Sunderland glovesmen seemingly being a little bit obsessed with punching the ball, choosing that option on a few occasions when a two-handed catch looked a relatively simple idea.
The Mackems made it a slightly flattering 3-0 in the 86th minute, when Grant Leadbitter smashed a 25-yard free-kick, via a firm hand from Westwood, into the near corner of the United goal. Westwood didn't have his best day at the office to be fair and it ceartainly looked like either his defensive wall was badly lined-up or he misread the shot a little as it came in. The last chance of the game came seconds from the final whistle when Westwood grabbed Kevin Kyle's 22-yard drive at the second attempt, to leave the final score, after a slightly disappointing performance from the Blues, at 3-0 to the visitors.
United line-up :
Keiren Westwood, David Raven, Kevin Gray, Peter Murphy, Zigor Aranalde, Chris Lumsdon (Neale McDermott 62), Paul Murray (Simon Hackney 79), Chris Billy, Karl Hawley, Michael Bridges (Derek Holmes 76), Kevin Gall.
Unused substitutes :
Anthony Williams, Paul Arnison and Adam Murray.
Sunderland line-up :
Ben Alnwick (Trevor Carson 79), Nyron Nosworthy (Peter Hartley 72), Danny Collins (Robbie Elliott 46), Tommy Miller, Kenny Cunningham, Steven Caldwell (Neill Collins 46), Liam Lawrence, Dean Whitehead, Jon Stead (Kevin Kyle 69), Stephen Elliott (Chris Brown 71), Dan Smith (Grant Leadbitter 52).