Manchester United made the trip to the Stadium of Light with a much-changed starting lineup, hoping to build on their impressive form. But it was Sunderland who came out firing, pressing United's defense from the first whistle and creating the game's early chances.
The home side nearly broke through when Chemsdine Talbi curled a shot just wide of Senne Lammens' post. Moments later, a slick Sunderland move sliced through United's backline like a hot knife through butter, putting Noah Sadiki clean through on goal. Lammens was equal to the task, however, turning the midfielder's effort away for a corner.
United responded with a set piece of their own, but instead of shooting, Bruno Fernandes squared to Amad, whose curling effort drifted comfortably wide. Lisandro Martinez then nearly gifted Sunderland an opening with an errant pass that almost let Brian Brobbey in, but Lammens was quick off his line to snuff out the danger.
The Black Cats thought they had a penalty when the ball struck Amad's hand, but VAR confirmed it had hit the Ivorian's body first. The game settled into a midfield battle until the 28th minute, when Matheus Cunha's floated ball found Joshua Zirkzee, who could only head just over the bar.
Sunderland responded in kind, with Brobbey dragging an effort wide from the right. Another slick move from the home side ended with Sadiki's shot being deflected out for a corner. United enjoyed their best spell just before halftime, with Cunha's volley deflecting to Kobbie Mainoo, who somehow miskicked from a promising position with oceans of space.
The whistle blew at 0-0, and Michael Carrick will have been disappointed with his side's first-half performance. The second half started slowly, with Cunha's long-range effort ballooning harmlessly over the bar. United almost broke through when Fernandes' deflected through ball found Amad, but he squared the ball when he probably should have shot, and the chance went begging.
Lammens was United's hero once again when Brobbey was played in, with the Belgian making a fine stop to deny the striker's fierce effort. United tried to keep possession but lacked the fluidity that made last week's brilliant match against Liverpool so special. Sunderland came within inches of breaking the deadlock, but neither side could find the breakthrough in a frustrating stalemate at the Stadium of Light.