That’s all for now after a routine victory for Manchester United that’s effectively announced their title challenge. Check back later for a full match report and thanks for following along with us.

90 min: There will be four minutes of stoppage time.

88 min: Sunderland’s M’Vila with a speculative shot from 30 yards that sails far over the goal.

86 min: Ashley Young inside the area plays a ball to Rooney, who tries to flick it on goal but is denied by the defender.

84 min: Cattermole shown yellow for hacking down Schneiderlin. Sluggish endgame here from both sides.

78 min: A through ball to Rooney on the edge of the area and he passes to Mata, who takes a touch before uncorking a left-footed shot that very nearly makes it 3-0 – if not for a lunging save by Pantilimon.

77 min: Pace has slowed a bit with no substantial chances for either side. United make their final sub as Ashley Young comes on for Memphis.

73 min: Another sub for United as Phil Jones comes on for Daley Blind, this moments after Sunderland’s Sebastian Larsson replaced Ola Toivonen

70 min: A header by Martial just misses the goal, sailing narrowly over the crossbar.

68 min: United make their first substitution of the match as Bastian Schweinsteiger enters for Michael Carrick.

66 min: Fletcher working tirelessly on the right flank by has his pocket picked by Smalling. Moments later after a quick counter-attack Memphis has a clean breakaway, but his shot is saved by Pantilimon. Really should have been 3-0 there.

64 min: Bit of a sloppy batch as the teams trade possession in midfield.

61 min: Well played ball by Cattermole to release Van Aanholt down the left flank, but a tight angled show is turned away by De Gea at the near post.

57 min: An observation from Adam Hirst, via email, on Rooney’s quick-strike goal to open the second half.

Bit like this one ...

55 min: Sunderland win a corner when the ball goes out off Darmian. It’s taken and easily cleared by Carrick.

52 min: Fletcher wins a free kick when Schneiderlin clips him from behind. It’s sent to the far post and directed on goal but De Gea makes the save with his legs.

50 min: Billy Jones goes into the book after tripping Memphis, a yellow card.

46 min: We’re off in the second half. One change at the break: Fletcher replaces Johnson for Sunderland.

45 min: Fourth official signals for four minutes of stoppage time. A note from JR in Illinois, via email:

Do you have to remind yourself every couple minutes that United are playing Sunderland and not Norwich? I know I do.

This game is just wretched.

Tell us what you really think!

43 min: Sunderland defending well today and looking completely at ease while doing it. United doing very little to trouble them.

40 min: With five minutes to go in the opening half United looking toothless in attack. A lack of creativity and ideas showing itself today.

37 min: Adam Johnson shown yellow for handling the ball, giving United a free kick right outside the area. Memphis with a gently struck shot with little pace that sails over the wall into the waiting arms of Pantilimon.

33 min: Borini down on a challenge by Valencia, who was playing the ball. Borini down for a spell and a drop ball will restart proceedings.

31 min: Rooney plays a ball into Martial but he puts a bit too much on it and it trickles out before the French teenager can meet it. Crowd seems to be getting a bit restless.

25 min: Moments later Rooney takes the ball at midfield and creates space with a beautiful spin away from Cattermore. He runs 25 yards downfield before swinging it to the top of the area, where Memphis fires a shot that Pantilimon must leap to nudge over the crossbar.

24 min: De Gea called into action when Lens gets behind the United back four and puts a shot on goal.

22 min: Memphis slaloms into the area as the home crowd swells before a gaggle of defenders closes in and disrupts the attack. Now a note from Thabo Mokaleng, via email, in response to Matt Richman:

No. Mata, Rooney and Martial all have a goal in them. And if Memphis scores it will be a fourth. Nevertheless, it will still be the most weirdly anodyne 4-1 you’re ever likely to see.

19 min: Cattermole, who’s been excellent thus far today, down and receiving treatment.

17 min: Mata swings the ball into the wall and it caroms back to the midfield.

16 min: A moment of miscommunication between Pantilimon and the center backs and the keeper has handled the ball outside the box and now United will have a set piece from a highly dangerous area.

13 min: The jerky pace of the opening minutes seems to have subsided as United have kept possession for more than two minutes now. And in a flash the ball is played into Mata at the top of the area, who quickly uncorks a left-footed shot that’s deflected at the last moment by Cattermole. Corner to United.

10 min: Poorly played ball by O’Shea is deftly intercepted by Carrick, who tries to play it through to Memphis but it’s booted away at the last minute. The visitors nearly paid for a moment of carelessness there.

9 min: A prediction – or something like it – from Matt Richman, via email:

As a United fan, I am going to place some of the onus on you to get me excited for this match. With the chance to go top seemingly there for the taking, can we expect a wildly entertaining show of attacking force, or are we going to have to sit through another day of 60% possession, 2 shots, and one goal sneaking in through deflection?

What say you, gallery?

8 min: Martial wins a free kick for United in a dangerous area, right on the edge of the area on the right side. Memphis and Mata standing over it. It’s taken by Mata but fails to offer much of a threat.

6 min: First half-chance of the match for either side as a ball is played by Darmian from the left flank into Martial, but he misses the header opportunity.

4 min: Cattermore with an combative – but clean – tackle of Rooney roughly 25 yards from goal to dispossess the striker. Clear he’ll be taking an aggressive tack today.

2 min: Sunderland trying to build up from the back and making progress but United pressuring and challenging and disrupting.

1 min: And we’re off from Old Trafford. United attacking from left to right in traditional home kits, Sunderland from right to left in all-green strips.

Wayne Rooney starts today, looking for his first league goal since April. Louis van Gaal is still stubbornly backing his captain to score 25 goals this season, though:

Louis van Gaal believes Wayne Rooney can still score 25 times for Manchester United this season despite the captain nearing 1,000 minutes since his last Premier League goal.

Rooney has found the net four times for the club this season, though these have been in the Champions League and Capital One Cup. During the club’s summer tour of the US, Van Gaal stated Rooney would return at least 25 goals for the campaign because the 29-year-old was being restored to centre-forward.

Asked if he believed Rooney could still reach the mark, the manager said: “He has already scored four goals.” When it was put to the Dutchman that his captain has played 954 minutes in the league since he scored against Aston Villa on 4 April, Van Gaal said: “I don’t think that is an issue for him, for me or for the club, so he shall score also in the Premier League. That I am convinced of. And you shall see it.”

Read the full story from Jamie Jackson here.

So just the one change for Manchester United from the 3-2 win at Southampton, with Antonio Valencia coming in for the injured Marcus Rojo, and Matteo Darmian switching sides to play at left-back.

Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat has taken time out from flicking through cruise brochures to make three changes, with John O’Shea, Adam Johnson and Lee Cattermole replacing Sebastián Coates, Jordi Gómez and Jermain Defoe.

Bryan will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s how United got on in midweek:

Manchester United – and Louis van Gaal – put their Capital One Cup embarrassment at MK Dons a little further behind them with this stroll that featured a fine maiden strike by Andreas Pereira, and a fourth in four games by Anthony Martial.

Last August, United departed Milton Keynes on the wrong end of a 4-0 trouncing by the Dons, but Ipswich Town were allowed scant hope of emulating the League One club.

After Sunday’s two-goal heroics at Southampton, Martial was stood down from the starting XI. This meant Van Gaal restored Wayne Rooney to centre-forward and slotted Marouane Fellaini into the No10 berth, as he handed a first competitive start to Pereira.

Of the latter’s slick display, the manager said: “We have to evaluate the game and not an individual player. He had a big participation in the game because he shoots the free-kick in in a fantastic way. But like all the other players there is a lot of space of improvement.”

Click here for the full report.