Sunderland duo banned

Sunderland’s hopes of climbing up the league table have been hit with hefty suspensions being handed out to two stars

Captain Lee Cattermole will miss 12th-placed Sunderland’s next four games after being handed a four-match ban for his actions in Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby.

He picked up his 10th yellow card of the season just 38 seconds into the 1-1 draw, earning him an automatic two-game ban.

Cattermole was then shown a straight red card after the final whistle for foul and abusive language, which will see the 23-year-old miss a further two matches, meaning he is ruled out of the games against Liverpool, Everton, Blackburn and QPR.

Forward Stephane Sessegnon will also miss the next three games after he was dismissed for an elbow on Newcastle midfielder Cheik Tiote.