Callum Doyle makes telling gesture in front of Sunderland fans as Bolton striker pays emotional tribute: Moments you may have missed

At the start of the afternoon around 5,000 away supporters filled the South Stand at the Bolton University Stadium, yet many, understandably, decided to leave early during a wretched display.

A 6-0 defeat to a Bolton side which sat 15th in the League One table ahead of kick-off was simply embarrassing, with Lee Johnson and his players facing an immediate backlash inside the ground and on social media.

Here are some of the moments you may have missed on a forgettable afternoon:

Winchester’s careless moment

Sunderland started poorly and their performance was summed up by a clumsy moment in the first half.

The Black Cats hardly threatened the Bolton goal all game, registering just two efforts on target – one of which came when Elliot Embleton fired an optimistic shot straight at goalkeeper James Trafford from distance.

Bolton regularly allowed Sunderland’s centre-backs Danny Batth and Callum Doyle to have the ball, as the hosts were difficult to break down while posing a threat on the break.

When Sunderland did get the ball into the final third at 1-0 down and won a throw-in, Winchester was penalised for taking a foul throw.

The afternoon continued to unravel from there.

Dejected reactions

The response from Sunderland’s players every time a goal went in was telling. They appeared shell shocked.

Each time the ball hit the back of the net, there was little communication between the visiting players, with most of them turning away rather than looking for answers.

Of course it’s not helpful for someone to go berating team-mates after a mistake, yet the lack of a reaction and way heads quickly dropped was alarming.

We know this is a young Sunderland side which is still raw, and that showed as the game ran away from them and nobody took control.

Defender Danny Batth was brought in to add some experience to the team’s backline, yet even the 31-year-old had a horror moment when he headed the ball into his own net to make it 5-0.

Batth lay flat on the floor as his team-mates once again looked away, before Pritchard finally pulled the defender back to his feet.

Dapo Afolayan pays emotional tribute

While it was a miserable day for Sunderland, Bolton striker Dapo Afolayen showed his quality and class.

The 24-year-old joined the Trotters permanently from West Ham in the summer and netted his side’s second goal here.

After scoring for the ninth time in League One this season, Afolayan dedicated his goal to the memory of young West Ham fan Isla Caton, who passed away this week.

Seven-year-old Isla had battled cancer for much of her childhood, and Afolayan revealed a printed T-shirt which read: ‘RIP Isla Caton’ after his goal.

“She was a big West Ham fan, as are her family, and she had neuroblastoma, fought really hard. It is really sad,” said Afolayan after the game.

“Her mother, Nicki, and everyone is feeling the loss hard.”

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