Sunderland gave their play-off hopes a major boost in Sky Bet League One as they thrashed 10-man Cambridge United 5-1 at the Stadium of Light.

The visitors had to play for almost 80 minutes with a man disadvantage after Lloyd Jones was dismissed for a foul on Ross Stewart, and the Black Cats exploited their numerical superiority ruthlessly.

Stewart ended an eight-game goal drought by scoring twice, with Elliot Embleton, Nathan Broadhead and Danny Batth also getting on the scoresheet.

The key moment of the game came in the 12th minute, with Jones receiving a straight red card after he bundled over Stewart in the 18-yard box. Stewart stepped up to convert the subsequent penalty, and the Black Cats did not look like ceding control from that point onwards.

Embleton added a second goal just before the half-hour mark, floating in a free-kick from close to the byline that sailed over goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov and found the far corner.

Cambridge pulled a goal back two minutes later, with Paul Digby swooping on a loose ball and swivelling neatly inside the area before firing home, but Sunderland restored their two-goal lead nine minutes before the break.

Luke O’Nien released Lynden Gooch down the right, and after the wing-back delivered the ball into the area, Stewart controlled and turned smartly before firing a clinical finish past Mitov.

Sunderland’s dominance continued after the break, with a fourth goal arriving eight minutes into the second half. Gooch whipped in a brilliant cross from close to the right touchline, and an unmarked Broadhead was left with the simple task of heading home from close range.

Cambridge were unable to cope with the quality of Sunderland’s delivery from the wide positions, and when substitute Alex Pritchard swung over another pinpoint cross in the 71st minute, Batth was able to nod home his first goal for the Black Cats.