Sunderland Women exited the Continental Tyres Cup following a 7-0 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa Women inside a freezing cold Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground.
Alisha Lehmann, Jordan Nobbs and Rachel Corsie give the visitors a three-goal advantage inside the first 45, before Ebony Salmon, Simone Magill, Adriana Leon and an own-goal wrapped up the victory for the WSL side.
Sunderland confidently passed the ball around in the opening stages of the tie and almost found a breakthrough when Mary Corbyn picked out Jenna Dear in an advanced position, but Anna Leat was alert to clear the danger.
The visitors came close to a breakthrough when Nobbs forced Megan Borthwick into a smart save low down to her right from 20-yards out after picking up a loose ball inside the hosts half.
Borthwick was called into action moment later to deny Lehmann from close-range after the Villa striker latched onto Anna Patten’s through ball before composing herself and firing straight at the Sunderland goalkeeper.
Aston Villa went ahead on 30 minutes following some intelligent build-up play from Salmon and Sarah Mayling down the right hand side to provide Lehmann with a simple back post header.
The away team doubled their advantage on 38 minutes through England international Nobbs, the midfielder expertly bending her effort from the edge of the box into Borthwick’s far corner.
Villa added a third on 44 minutes when Mayumi Pacheco’s quick thinking from a corner found Salmon in space - the midfielders squared pass providing Corsie with a simple tap-in.
Borthwick pulled off a brilliant stop moments before half time to deny Salmon’s thundering attempt from inside Sunderland’s 18-yard box.
Aston Villa came out of the blocks fast after the interval, Salmon clinically grabbing the visitors fourth goal inside a minute of the restart following substitute Kenza Dali’s defence splitting pass.
Sunderland almost pulled a goal back midway through the second half, but Corbyn’s strike was comfortably saved by Leat.
Emily Scarr came closest to scoring for the Black Cats, the forward’s strike from 20-yards out forcing Leat into a fingertip save to keep her clean sheet intact.
Aston Villa scored their fifth goal of the evening through Magill, the attacker was well-placed inside the host’s six-yard area to poke Salmon’s cross past Borthwick.
Second-half substitute Leon grabbed the Villains sixth goal with a smart well-taken volley on 90 minutes before an own-goal inside added time rounded off proceedings.
The Lasses are back in action on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Blackburn Rovers in the Barclays Women's Championship.
SAFC XI: Borthwick, McCatty ©, Goddard (Fenton 46’), Ede (Griffiths 46’), Rouse (Kitching 46’), McInnes, Beer, Dear, Watson (Scarr 70’), Ejupi (McAteer 79’), Corbyn.
Subs not used: Brown, Moan, Cassap, Jones.