SUNDERLAND produced a cocktail of the slick, the sloppy and the sublime to maintain their early promotion charge.

They looked nothing like home supremacists in the opening half an hour.

But once Jobe Bellingham found the net on 40 minutes with a goal big brother Jude would have been mighty proud of, Regis Le Bris’ side turned on the style.

Wilson Isidor stretched the lead in the 54th minute rounding off a fine move.

Bellingham brought in Romaine Mundle – again excelling on the left – and when he delivered la ow cross, Isidor made it two goals inside a week with a close range finish.

Derby never gave up and there were one or two scares in the closing minutes but there’s an in-built confidence running through this young Sunderland side.

And even when the football isn’t flowing, a collective steel belies their inexperience.

Sunderland had to overcome a sluggish start before going in a goal up at the break.

And it was arguably the best they’ve scored this term with Bellingham’s long-distance rocket exploding past Jacob Zetterstrom in the Derby goal.

Le Bris had handed a vote of confidence to skipper Dan Neil after his rash challenge gifted Watford a late matchwinning penalty at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

Neil took his place in an unchanged Black Cats line-up, knowing the spotlight was very much on him following a mediocre start to the campaign.

He did not let his manager down.

But for a side going into the game boasting a 100 per cent home record, Sunderland’s start was none too convincing and it wasn’t until the closing stages of the opening period that they finally found their form.

Within three minutes, Dennis Cirkin lost possession on the left and when Kane Wilson worked the ball to Marcus Harness, his shot was blocked by Chris Mepham.

A spectacular light show had warmed up the crowd before kick-off but there was little illuminating about Sunderland in the opening minutes.

Successive defeats against Sheffield United and Norwich had stalled the Rams’ momentum and they arrived on Wearside six points and 11 places worse off than their hosts.

Had Harness punished Sunderland in that early sortie, the outcome might have been different but gradually it was the Black Cats who gained a foothold, with  Mundle once again proving a left wing firebrand.

But Derby’s height advantage always posed a threat at set-pieces. Nat Phillips and Curtis Nelson were both on the end of corners in quick succession without seriously testing Patterson.

Sunderland had their first shot on target in the 22nd minute when Neil wriggled through to tee up Mundle but his team effort was never going to test  Zetterstrom.

 Isidor should have broken the deadlock five minutes later.

The overlapping Cirkin sent in a teasing cross which Isidor, who opened his account against Watford, headed wide at the near post.

The chances were now coming thick and fast and when Mundle ran onto Chris Rigg’s weighted pass, his first time effort flew just wide.

The breakthrough came in stunning fashion with  Bellingham scoring his first goal of the season with that searing thunderbolt which had the sprawling Zetterstrom grasping thin air.

Patterson though, had to be alert to prevent a quickfire equaliser, beating away Tawanda Chirewa’s snapshot at his near post.

Sunderland had some breathing space when Isidor stretched the lead ten minutes into the second half.

They continued to look the better side though Patterson showed great reflexes on 72 minutes to deny both Eiran Cashin and sub Craig Forsyth at close range.

On an otherwise encouraging night, there was further injury woe for the luckless Ian Poveda.

Coming off the bench in the 74th minute, the Colombian lasted less than ten minutes before limping off clutching his hamstring.