Sunderland succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Hull City in the Premier League Boxing Day clash at the Stadium of Light.

The hosts took the lead through Adam Johnson within the first 30 seconds of the game, but Gaston Ramirez struck a lucky goal in the 33rd minute to level proceedings.

Gus Poyet's charges then had a number of penalty appeals turned down late in the first half, before the Tigers took the lead in the 51st minute through James Chester.

Steve Bruce's side then killed off the game deep in injury time when Nikica Jelavic added a third for the visitors, who climb out of the relegation zone.

Here, Sports Mole rates each of the players who took part in today's game.

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SUNDERLAND

Goal

Costel Pantilimon: Could have done better to save Ramirez's goal, though he was a tad unlucky with an awkward bounce in front of him. At little fault for the other goals. (6/10)

Defence

Sebastian Coates: Did well to keep tabs on Aluko, but played far too deep at times. Sent some ambitious balls forward but they often proved ineffective. (6/10)

Santiago Vergini: Came close to scoring before the break, but was thwarted by a great save from McGregor. (6/10)

Billy Jones: Eager to get forward and contribute in attack, making some positive runs along the outside and linking up well with Johnson and Gomez. (7/10)

John O'Shea: Read the game well and dealt efficiently with the pace of Aluko, while letting nothing get behind him. (7/10)

Midfield

Ricardo Alvarez: Wasn't very effective in attack and failed to threaten the Hull defence. (5/10)

Sebastian Larsson: Was at the heart of everything early on for the hosts, but his influence waned through the second half. (7/10)

Lee Cattermole: Negative with his passing, which stopped several attacks from being launched properly. Also not as physical as usual, save for an elbow tackle on Ramirez which could have seen him booked in the second half. (5/10)

Adam Johnson: Scored with a good instinctive finish, pouncing on a wayward backpass before rounding the goalkeeper and firing home after just 29 seconds. Was fairly dangerous throughout. (7/10)

Jordi Gomez: Made some dangerous runs forward, linking up well with his teammates. Did not have luck with long-range efforts though. (6/10)

Attack

Steven Fletcher: Wasteful in possession and failed to connect with balls heading his way. His biggest contribution came at the back when he cleared a Curtis Davies header off the line. (5/10)

Substitutes

Emanuele Giaccherini: Failed to have much of an impact after coming on just after the hour. (5/10)

Will Buckley: Showed good technique on the ball and was creative, but came on too late to have much of an impact. (6/10)

Jozy Altidore: Ineffective, gave the ball away on too many occasions. (5/10)

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HULL

Goal

Allan McGregor: Pulled off a series of great saves to keep his side in the game. Could do little to stop Johnson's goal early on. (7/10)

Defence

Curtis Davies: His poor back-pass gifted Sunderland the lead within the first minute, but he regained his composure and was dependable throughout the rest of the match. (6/10)

James Chester: Struck a great header to send Ramirez's ball into the back of the net, and hardly put a foot wrong at the back. (7/10)

Liam Rosenior: Did not get forward often, but was effective in forcing Johnson to drift into the centre and to the left in order to get onto the ball. (6/10)

Alex Bruce: Cleared a Larsson header off the line, read the game well and nullified Fletcher well. (7/10)

Midfield

Gaston Ramirez: Scored a goal and created another, and was a constant threat in attack. (8/10)

Ahmed Elmohamady: Made some great runs forward, but was often sloppy in possession. However, his good play allowed Jelavic to seal the win in the final minute. (6/10)

David Meyler: Rarely put a foot wrong. Distributed the ball well to help his side keep possession. (7/10)

Sone Aluko: Did not have any scoring chances, but his pace and runs off the ball gave Sunderland plenty of food for thought. (7/10)

Attack

Stephen Quinn: A constant thorn in Sunderland's side, courtesy of his work rate and endeavour. (7/10)

Robbie Brady: Ventured forward often, and made some clever runs in possession. Was key in helping his side keep the ball. (7/10)

Substitutes

Nikica Jelavic: Took his chance well after coming on to seal all three points for Hull. (7/10)

Thomas Ince: Came on too late to make an impact. (6/10)

Yannick Sagbo: Proved largely ineffective and didn't have much of an impact on the game. (6/10)