Southampton demolished Sunderland at St Mary’s in a game which saw Santiago Vergini score one of the Premier League’s most spectacular own goals.
The Argentine, 26, volleyed in from 18 yards, before Graziano Pelle and Jack Cork each scored from close range.
Pelle’s well-taken second followed a Liam Bridcutt own goal and Sunderland keeper Vito Mannone passed to Dusan Tadic to make it six.
Victor Wanyama and Sadio Mane sealed Sunderland’s biggest loss in 32 years.
The Black Cats have now lost 8-0 on four occasions in their history, with the other defeats by the same margin against Sheffield Wednesday in 1911, West Ham United in 1968 and Watford in 1982.
Manager Gus Poyet glared at his players after the game as they applauded their travelling supporters, and he will be disbelieving of the charity shown from the early stages on the south coast.
Vergini’s volley will form part of football blunder features for years to come as his attempted clearance flew past Sunderland keeper Mannone like a rocket.
Within six minutes of his error, the defender could not track Steven Davis after Sunderland had conceded possession and a crisp cross allowed Pelle to tap home.
The Premier League’s Player of the Month scored on his debut for Italy during the international break and offered link-up play to complement his goal threat throughout.
Ronald Koeman – voted manager of the month for guiding Southampton to third – urged his players to “start again” today after the international break, warning opponents will no longer be surprised by their threat.
Their purposeful response was to attack with freedom and when a free-flowing move allowed Tadic to cross for Cork to stab home, the points were all but sealed.
The win means Saints are a point better off than at this stage last season when they eventually finished eighth, but they ruthlessly looked to punish every Sunderland error and are now one of only five teams to have won by eight goals in Premier League history.
Cork and midfield partner Morgan Schneiderlin both completed over 90% of their passes as Sunderland consistently failed to get close to their opponents and the dominance in midfield proved telling as the home side created chance after chance in the second period.
Tadic was denied by a goal-line clearance from Patrick van Aanholt shortly after the break, but after Mannone saved from Pelle, Bridcutt could not clear from under his own cross-bar and bundled the ball into his own net.
Pelle, who now has six goals in eight league games, celebrated sheepishly, but he soon had another goal he could claim as his own when he smartly swept Tadic’s pass home.
Tadic, who like Pelle, was imported from the Dutch league this summer, looked every inch his £10.9m price tag as he teased the visiting defence and when Mannone passed the ball straight to his feet, he duly curled into an empty net from 30 yards.
It was another Sunderland donation but Tadic continued to show little mercy as he fed Wanyama who smashed home from 12 yards and then set up Mane for his first goal in English football.
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