Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League encounter between Sunderland and Manchester United from the Stadium of Light. We should have the team news for you very shortly indeed...

SUNDERLAND: Mannone; Vergini, Van Aanholt, Brown, O'Shea; Cattermole, Larsson, Rodwell, Buckley; Wickham, Fletcher

SUNDERLAND SUBS: Pantilimon, Jones, Bridcutt, Gomez, Altidore, Mavrias, Roberge

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has made two changes to his side following last weekend's 2-2 draw at West Bromwich Albion as Vergini and Buckley come into the starting XI. Roberge and Johnson are the players who make way, with the former dropping down to the bench.

MAN UTD: De Gea; Jones, Smalling, Blackett; Valencia, Cleverley, Fletcher, Mata, Young; Rooney, Van Persie

MAN UTD SUBS: Amos, M Keane, James, Kagawa, Hernandez, Welbeck, Januzaj

Man Utd boss Louis van Gaal has gone for three changes in the wake of his side's surprise opening-day defeat to Swansea City. Van Persie is back to full fitness and goes straight into the team, while Valencia and Cleverley are also introduced. The injured duo of Lingard and Herrera miss out, and Hernandez has to settle for a place among the substitutes.

All eyes will be on Man Utd this afternoon to see whether they can get their first points of the season on the board. The Red Devils got their campaign off to a disappointing start last weekend with a 2-1 defeat at home to Swansea. Another loss today would be a disaster by the club's high standards.

However, it's not all doom and gloom at Old Trafford at the moment. It has been reported in the last 24 hours that they are on the verge of signing Real Madrid winger Angel di Maria in a deal that would smash the British transfer record. You can read more about that story here.

If the frenetic world of social media is to go by, plenty of Man Utd fans remain desperate for the club to strengthen before the end of the transfer window. Van Gaal already has a handful of players unavailable to him through injury, as seen by 20-year-old Tyler Blackett making his second start of the season in the heart of the defence.

And what of Sunderland? The Black Cats left it late to earn a 2-2 draw at West Brom last weekend, but they will be pleased to have avoided defeat in their first match of the season. Another positive result against the former champions this afternoon would certainly lift the spirits at the Stadium of Light as the club looks to enjoy a less-worrying campaign this term.

UPDATE! Today's two early kickoffs in the Premier League have just ended, with Tottenham Hotspur beating QPR 4-0 and Hull City drawing 1-1 at home to Stoke.

.@Persie_Official, seen here arriving at the Stadium of Light, starts his first #mufc game under van Gaal. #MUFClive pic.twitter.com/xyW1wuXPqe

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 24, 2014

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet speaking to the club's official website: "To win or to have a chance of winning against the top teams once you may be lucky, but to do it regularly you have to be playing at your best, take your chances and defend well. You have to have as close as possible to a perfect game."

Man Utd manager Louis van Gaal: "What I have always expected in every country – in the Netherlands and also Spain and Germany – is that when you lose, you are not so popular. But in spite of our loss (against Swansea), the fans applauded and that is fantastic to experience as a manager. They want to show their belief and I like that very much, as you can imagine. It was an unbelievable experience but I also know we have to win, for sure."

HEAD TO HEAD: Man Utd have the better record when it comes to past meetings between these teams, winning 57 matches compared to Sunderland's 40. Meanwhile, there have been 30 draws. Interestingly, Sunderland have never beaten United on home turf during the Premier League era.

While Man Utd have been dominant against Sunderland down the year, the Black Cats took four points off the Red Devils last season. The sides drew 2-2 at the Stadium of Light before Sunderland earned a shock 1-0 at Old Trafford towards the end of the campaign.

Pre-match interviews for the head coach - glad to see he's dried off after his #IceBucketChallenge pic.twitter.com/wk61rp25wg — Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) August 24, 2014

A quick note on why Adam Johnson isn't in the Sunderland squad today: the winger was struck down with an illness earlier this week, ruling him out of the match. Will Buckley is the man who replaces him, with the summer signing making his full debut for the Black Cats following a summer move from Brighton.

Got a spare couple of minutes before this afternoon's match gets underway? Why not check out our video preview below:

One for the stats lovers: If Man Utd lose today it will be the first time since 1992 that they've been beaten in their opening two matches of a league campaign.

The players are in the tunnel, ready to step out onto the pitch at the Stadium of Light. Plenty of intense faces among the teams, with Wayne Rooney and John O'Shea standing at the front of the respective lines.

KICKOFF! The teams are out, the pre-match formalities have been completed, and it will be the visitors to get us underway. Can Man Utd get their season up and running, or will Sunderland heap more misery on Louis van Gaal's men? We're about to find out!

It's been a confident start from Sunderland, who almost get a sniff at goal following a stray pass from Young, but De Gea is there to mop up the danger. The hosts have seen almost all of the ball during these opening few minutes.

CHANCE! Sunderland come close to opening the scoring through Cattermole, but the midfielder's effort from 25 yards goes narrowly wide. Despite it being early days in this match, Gus Poyet is sure to be pleased with how his side has come flying out of the traps.

Man Utd's first opening sees Mata try to feed Van Persie, though the Spaniard's pass has too much on it and goes out of play for a goal kick. The visitors are being restricted at the moment as Sunderland continue to dominate the early stages.

The visitors carve out another opening as the ball falls to Cleverley on the edge of the box, but his effort goes high over the crossbar. That opportunity aside, Man Utd's passing has been poor so far. They've given the ball away needlessly two or three times, putting themselves under unnecessary pressure.

It's all fairly even at the minute as the two teams jostle for supremacy. Cattermole sees a ferocious drive blocked on the edge of the box before a free kick from Larsson out on the right is cleared by the away side. Gus Poyet is currently down on the touchline, barking orders at his players, while Louis van Gaal remains somewhat calmer in the dugout.

They've not had the best start, but Man Utd lead through Mata! The visitors broke up the pitch with Valencia on the right, and Mata was there in the middle to tap the ball in following a cross from his teammate. Clinical stuff from the Red Devils.

Bad news for Man Utd because it seems as if Smalling has a hamstring problem. The defender is expected to come off shortly. They may be ahead, but that's put a bit of a dampener on things for the visitors, considering the list of injuries that they've had at the start of the season.

There's a bit of a lull in the game at the moment as Sunderland try to reassert themselves. Meanwhile, Smalling remains on the pitch, despite apparently having a hamstring problem. Maybe he's not coming off after all.

Good spell of pressure for Man Utd right now, with the visitors on the hunt for a second goal. They began the match looking a bit dodgy on the ball, but the passing has improved since they took the lead. However, Sunderland continue to look like a threat on the break.

CHANCE! Nearly an equaliser for Sunderland! Wickham tries his luck from 25 yards with a powerful drive along the ground, though his shot fizzes narrowly wide of De Gea's right post. That opening has livened up the home fans a bit.

Sunderland get their equaliser thanks to a good header from Rodwell from a corner! Larsson's delivery from the right was a decent one, and there was Rodwell to evade Van Persie and nod past De Gea. The Stadium of Light erupts!

It's a completely different atmosphere inside the ground now, with the home fans signing loud and proud. Man Utd need to steady the ship here if they want to avoid conceding again because the hosts have their tails well and truly up.

CHANCE! Man Utd threaten the Sunderland goal with a Rooney free kick from 25 yards, but he can only curl the ball wide of the post. To be fair, it looked as if Mannone had that covered. The United skipper has been fairly quiet so far, as has his strike partner Van Persie.

From a Man Utd perspective, this hasn't been too much of an improvement on last weekend's performance against Swansea. There's a lack of creativity from central positions, while too many of the key players aren't getting involved.

CHANCE! That would have been some goal from Fletcher for Sunderland! A ball is pumped into the box before being headed down into the path of the striker. He tries to volley the ball acrobatically into the net, but his effort ends up going well wide. Good imagination from the Scot there. The hosts are finishing the half strongly.

SUBSTITUTION: It's taken a while, but Smalling finally goes off with that hamstring problem. Youngster Michael Keane replaces the England international in defence.

Two minutes of added time at the end of the half...

The half-time whistle goes, bringing an end to an intriguing opening 45 minutes at the Stadium of Light. Man Utd took the lead against the run of play through Juan Mata, but the hosts levelled things up thanks to Jack Rodwell's header. It's all to play for in the second half.

You have to say that Sunderland were the more dominant during that first half, or at least that they carried more potency in attack. Man Utd have looked a tad sluggish at times, though there is still plenty of time for them to take control of this game.

2 - Manchester United have kept only two clean sheets in their last 10 Premier League games. Gaps. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 24, 2014

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet is sure to be pleased with the tempo that his team has played with so far. They've not had everything their own way, but they attacked with urgency and defended doggedly. More of the same in the second half and they'll have a great chance of beating Man Utd at home in the Premier League for the first time.

UPDATE! Today's early kickoffs in the Premier League saw Tottenham Hotspur beat QPR 4-0 and Hull City draw 1-1 with Stoke City. You can read our match reports here.

SECOND HALF UNDERWAY! The teams are back out and it will be Sunderland to get us going in the second half. No changes from either manager at the break.

Not much to report on during the opening stages of the second half as both sides pass and probe. Sunderland think that they've won possession deep in the opposition half, but Vergini is penalised for a foul on Cleverley. Gus Poyet doesn't look to impressed with that decision.

CHANCE! So close for Sunderland! Wickham does well inside the box to control the ball and volley towards goal before Blackett's block almost sees the ball trickle into the net. That could have gone anywhere. Man Utd live to fight another day.

Similar to the first half, Man Utd have recovered after enduring a shaky opening to the second period. Louis van Gaal's side are beginning to see a bit more of the ball in Sunderland's half, though the likes of Rooney and Van Persie are not getting involved as much as their manager would like. It's all a bit lifeless at the moment from the visitors.

That's poor from Valencia. Man Utd showed plenty of patience there as the looked to build an attack in the Sunderland half, only for the winger to spoil the move by putting a woeful cross into the area. Still, the away side are starting to gain a bit of momentum here as we head towards the hour mark.

This is much more promising from Man Utd as they continue to keep Sunderland pinned back. Meanwhile, the hosts are being reduced to the occasional break. It looks as if Welbeck is getting prepared to come on for the visitors. Can he provide the penetration that his side needs at the moment?

YELLOW CARD! Oh dear, Ashley Young. The Man Utd winger goes into the book for a dive after going down under the challenge of Brown. The visitors make a double change shortly after that incident, with Januzaj and Welbeck replacing Van Persie and Fletcher. Sunderland make a change of their own as Gomez enters the action in place of Rodwell.

Something of a half-chance for Sunderland as Vergini meets Larsson's corner, but the defender's improvised effort sails over the crossbar. It's all been a bit end to end during the last few minutes. You get the feeling that this match could go either way now.

YELLOW CARD! Cleverley now goes into the book for the visitors after clattering into Cattermole. No complaints there from the Man Utd midfielder.

It really is end to end now. Sunderland ask a question of the Man Utd defence with a corner before a corner of United's own sees Keane direct a header at Mannone. The youngster had plenty of space inside the box there, though he had to crane his neck to get a firm contact.

Januzaj and Welbeck have certainly livened Man Utd up since they came on. However, there's still something lacking in attack for the away side. Meanwhile, Sunderland are showing plenty of composure when they're on the ball. The hosts would probably take a point as things are, but they still have a chance of taking all three.

CHANCE! Sunderland come within inches of taking the lead! The hosts win a free kick in a central position on the edge of the Man Utd box that Larsson stands over. The Swede tries to curl the ball into the top corner, only to miss the target by a whisker.

SUBSTITUTION: Sunderland make another change now as Fletcher is replaced by Altidore. Can the burly USA international give the visitors something to think about?

SUBSTITUTION: A final change for Sunderland sees Bridcutt come on for Buckley. Just over 10 minutes remaining at the Stadium of Light.

It would be fair to say that Man Utd will probably push more than Sunderland for a winner in these final few minutes. The Black Cats look content to pass the ball around in an attempt to nullify their opponents, while the visitors are looking to get forward whenever they can.

Sunderland are enjoying a bit of pressure in the Man Utd half at the minute, but they're not really asking too many questions of their opponents. Gomez tries to create something on the edge of the area, only to be thwarted by Jones. For what it's worth, Jones has been one of United's more impressive performers this afternoon.

There's panic in the Sunderland box as Brown heads the ball onto teammate O'Shea, but Mannone does well to smother the ball with Rooney lurking. Not long left now.

The fourth official indicates that there will be four minutes of added time...

The full-time whistle goes, and Man Utd have their first points of the season with a 1-1 draw against Sunderland. While they will be happy to get off the mark for the new campaign, the Red Devils are sure to be unhappy with their overall display.

That's all from our live text coverage of today's match, but don't forget that you can catch all of the reaction from both camps throughout the course of the evening right here on Sports Mole. Thanks for your company and we hope to see you again soon. Goodbye!