Sunderland's damning 4-1 defeat by Arsenal at the Stadium of Light on Saturday has condemned David Moyes's side to the worst start after 10 games in Premier League history.
The Black Cats have equalled Manchester City's haul of only two points from their opening 10 league games in the 1995/96 season - but Sunderland's inferior goal difference of -13 gives them the unwanted honour.
But does a bad start always result in relegation? Are Sunderland destined to be one of the worst teams in the history of the league?
Here, Sportsmail takes a look at the five worst teams of the Premier League era and how they fared during their opening 10 matches.