David Connolly ended an hour of frustration to set Sunderland on their way to a 2-0 home win that piled on the misery for dismal Leeds United.
Dennis Wise's visitors, now winless in six games and without a goal in four matches, only mustered one shot on target in the entire game.
But despite dominating, the Black Cats were largely restricted to shots from distance, particularly from Liam Miller.
However, Connolly struck just before the midway point of the second period to send the majority of the 40,116 crowd into relieved raptures.
Grant Leadbitter added a deserved second just after Leeds' assistant manager Gustavo Poyet was sent to the stand.
Wise was incensed after a ball was thrown on to the pitch from one of the home areas and a couple of minutes later as Sunderland attacked, Poyet also threw a ball on, leading referee Graham Salisbury to send the Uruguayan down the tunnel.
It was just another footnote in a demoralising day for Leeds as the Yorkshire side slipped deeper into relegation trouble.
Sunderland were on top from the first whistle and Leeds goalkeeper Tony Warner had to be alert to beat Connolly to Leadbitter's clipped pass.
At the other end, Matt Heath headed wide from a Jonathon Douglas cross but there was little service for untried partnership of Tresor Kandol and Jermaine Beckford, who was making his first league start.
A fizzing 25-yard drive from Leadbitter was scrambled clear after Warner failed to hold in the 10th minute.
As the Black Cats' ascendancy continued, Warner was forced into a low save as Miller's cross from the left almost crept in at the near post.
The Leeds strikers' inability to hold the ball up meant Sunderland had bags of possession in the United half but were simply not creating good opportunities, with another long-range strike from Miller palmed away by Warner.
Douglas finally registered a shot on target for Leeds in the 30th minute.
Warner turned a powerful Stephen Elliott strike around the post before Kandol headed well wide of the Sunderland goal from Frazer Richardson's corner as the half ended goalless.
The pattern continued after the interval, with Miller driving just over the bar and Daryl Murphy slicing wide.
Just as Sunderland were starting to look more and more frustrated, Connolly made the breakthrough four minutes after the hour.
Dwight Yorke threaded the ball behind the Leeds defence and at the byline on the right, Connolly cut back inside Heath and squeezed the ball inside the near post for his third in four matches.
A treble change from Wise had no effect as the one-way traffic showed no sign of relenting.
After Poyet's bizarre contribution Sunderland's lead only looked like growing and Leadbitter smacked in a second with just under ten minutes left.
As Murphy cut in from the left, the ball fell to the midfielder on the edge of the area and, without breaking stride, he drove the ball home first time.
Connolly went close to pinching a third but Sunderland ran out worthy winners.
