Sunderland striker Duncan Watmore has admitted that his side's victory over Stoke City was huge in the context of their season.
The Black Cats secured their second win on the bounce in the Premier League to move out of the relegation zone as late goals from Patrick van Aanholt and Watmore fired them to the three points.
Watmore is now hopeful that his side can continue their good form to move further away from the bottom three ahead of the hectic festive schedule.
He told the club's official website: "It's a massive win for us today to get back-to-back wins. The momentum we took from the Crystal Palace game gave us confidence that we could come and win, and Stoke are a great side. So to get the three points and score in front of those fans is a special moment for me.
"It was a great goal [from Van Aanholt] and what we needed. When teams go down to 10 men the game changes, they play a different kind of system and you'll know they will sit back. Patrick's goal was vital for us to change the game.
"We knew that we needed two wins and that is what we got, and hopefully we can take the momentum into our next few matches."
Sunderland travel to Arsenal in their next Premier League clash.
Simon Sinclair
