CHERRIES’ magnificent run of home form came to a most unlikely end as they went down 2-1 to previously winless Sunderland this afternoon.

Despite taking an 11th minute lead through Dan Gosling, and seeing their opponents reduced to 10-men by Steven Pienaar’s dismissal with 31 minutes to play, Eddie Howe’s side lost at Vitality Stadium for the first-time since their defeat by Manchester United on the season’s opening day.

Jermain Defoe struck the Black Cats’ winner from the penalty spot on 74 minutes, after Victor Anichebe had drawn his team level 12 minutes before the break.

Sunderland, despite being in such wretched form and without a goal in their previous three Premier League away games, plainly came to Vitality Stadium determined not to be cowed by their hosts. David Moyes initially paired Anichebe and Defoe in attack – and early on Duncan Watmore was first to react to Anichebe’s knockdown to hit a shot that was deflected off target by Simon Francis.

Cherries skipper Francis then imperiously brushed Defoe aside as the striker chased down Anichebe’s through ball.

As if affronted by their visitors’ audacity, the home side stirred into life. Harry Arter latched onto Jordon Ibe’s reverse pass to hammer a strike that Jordan Pickford beat away for a corner.

But Sunderland No 1 Pickford was powerless to prevent his side from falling behind when Cherries next attacked. Junior Stanislas, returning from a two-match absence, threaded a precision pass inside Patrick van Aanholt to find the overlapping Adam Smith. The full-back’s subsequent cross found Gosling, yards from goal, between Lamine Kone and Billy Jones, and nudging the ball over the line with his stomach.

It was Cherries’ first goal since Gosling completed the 6-1 rout of Hull City on October 15.

Van Aanholt was soon seeking to make amends for his defensive lapse. The Black Cats’ left back raced onto Anichebe’s pass and directed a cross towards Defoe, who was frustrated by Francis’s outstretched leg taking the ball from his path.

Moyes’s side haven’t recorded a clean sheet on the road since a 3-0 win at Norwich eight games ago. It is easy to see why. Kone was caught dithering by Joshua King, deployed as Cherries’ centre forward in place of the unavailable Callum Wilson. The Norwegian rolled a pass right for Stanislas, who fired into the side netting.

For all the visitors’ defensive shortcomings, however, they were posing sufficient attacking threat for Cherries not to be able to afford to knock off at the back.

Watmore robbed Ibe high up the pitch, with Jones then swooping onto the loose ball to bulldoze through Gosling. When Watmore, regained possession, though, his rather tame shot was easily gobbled up by Artur Boruc.

Soon a trio of England-born stars, playing in front of assistant national team boss, Sammy Lee, linked to aesthetically delightful effect. Smith found Stanislas, who then collected Jack Wilshere’s sumptuous return back heel, only to ultimately run into a cluster of white shirts in the Black Cats’ box.

It was down to last line of defence Pickford to rescue his team when Cherries next tore forward. Smith picked out Stanislas in space, with the winger then spinning to slip a pass forward for King. The attacker’s shot towards the far post was kept out by the diving Sunderland keeper.

And Howe’s men would soon be rueing their lack of clinical edge. Anichebe received a smart Defoe pass, facing away from goal and with Francis at his back. From there, the former Everton striker delivered his trademark trick. Muscular and powerful, Anichebe left Francis on the deck as he swivelled onto his left foot and dispatched a ferocious finish high into the net.

The overworked Francis was soon on the back foot once more. Steve Cook cleared straight to Paddy McNair, who swiftly returned the ball forward for Defoe. The former England man bore down on his opponents’ area and drilled a goalbound effort that brought a brave, sprawling block from Francis.

With goalscorer Anichebe having dropped to operate on the left and thus bolstering the Black Cats’ midfield, the visitors were suddenly proving a tougher nut to crack.

What’s more, their leveller had further emboldened them as an attacking entity. Watmore had the ball in the net just before the break, after applying the finishing touch to a move he started in his own half. The forward, however, having drifted into an offside position, saw his effort ruled out.

Howe replaced Ibe with striker Benik Afobe at the break, with King switched to the right and Stanislas filling the gap left by the ex-Liverpool player.

Stanislas’s first act of the second half, though, was to head perilously close to his own goal when Van Aanholt swung in a free-kick from the right, the ball landing on top of Boruc’s net.

The noise from the Sunderland support was rising. And right in front of that boisterous travelling contingent Francis played a slack pass straight to Pienaar. The South African spread play to Didier Ndong, with the Gabon international then unleashing a wicked, swerving shot that needed Boruc fully concentrated to repel.

Afobe nearly had his first sniff of goal when Kone’s headed touch guided King’s cross away from the Cherries man. Charlie Daniels was then too strong for Watmore as the pair contested Arter’s pass into the box. The left back found Wilshere, whose right-footed strike was saved by the increasingly busy Pickford.

Cherries were steadily building some momentum. And their cause was helped no end when Pienaar, booked in the first-half, went over the top of the ball in a challenge with Stanislas. Referee Mike Dean, who had won little favour among the home crowd all afternoon, won back some popularity by rightly showing the midfielder a second yellow card.

Things would have been even better for Cherries if Stanislas, fed to the left of the box by Gosling, had bent his ensuing effort inside Pickford’s left-hand post, rather than against the outside of the upright.

This now, was a siege on the Sunderland goal.

Wilshere and Stanislas engaged in a thrilling rat-a-tat exchange of passes at the cusp of the Sunderland box, before Wilshere was denied at the last by a lunging Kone.

Shortly after, King’s close range effort, after Gosling’s shot was deflected into his path, cannoned away off Jones.

When Sunderland finally escaped their half, the conclusion was as damaging for the hosts as it was unforeseen. Watmore collected the ball from Defoe and centred for Anichebe, who had got on Smith’s wrong side. The attacker felt enough contact from the defender to go to ground and Dean pointed to the spot. That Defoe would rifle the penalty into the back of the net – into the top right corner - was inevitable.

Afobe swiftly had a chance to level amid a penalty box scramble, but the former Wolves player dragged the ball wide.

Another substitute, Ryan Fraser, planted a left-sided free-kick onto the top of the net and then sent in a dead ball from the same area that was only partially cleared, before Cook headed past the post.

Pickford then heroically clawed out King’s rising drive from inside his right post, after Afobe’s knockdown from Wilshere’s lofted pass had sat up perfectly for the attacker. Lys Mousset, on for Arter, had a late prodded effort deflected behind and then headed Fraser’s resultant corner off-target.

The cheer from the Sunderland support at that let-off told of their relief. And when the exultant Wearsiders next found their voice it was to toast their team’s first Premier League victory this season.

MATCH FACTS

Cherries (4-4-1-1): Boruc; A Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels; Stanislas (Fraser), Gosling, Arter (Mousset 76), Ibe (Afobe 46); Wilshere; King.

Unused subs: Ake, Pugh, Mings, Federici (g/k).

Bookings: Arter, King, Smith.

Sunderland (4-4-2): Pickford; Jones, Kone, Djilobodji, Van Aanholt; Watmore (Love 90), Ndong, Pienaar, McNair (Denayer 72); Anichebe, Defoe (Gooch 90).

Unused subs: Khazri, Manquillo, Januzaj, Mika (g/k).

Bookings: Anichebe, Gooch.

Sent off: Pienaar.

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral).