Habib Diarra on the spot as Sunderland ease past toothless Oxford United

Precipitation not perspiration was the order of the day here, as the rain hammered down on the banks of a bloated river Thames and Sunderland made it to the FA Cup fifth round without having to break a sweat.

Habib Diarra’s first‑half penalty provided only a narrow margin of victory for Régis Le Bris’s visitors, but the margin flattered Oxford. With two teams of reserves con­testing a tie in a competition that is priority for neither club, this was a drab match in sodden surrounds. There was little in the way of the magic of the Cup, but to their credit 9,879 spectators created a decent atmosphere all the same.