Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce has lavished praise on Jermain Defoe after the former England international scored twice in his team's 3-1 win over Aston Villa in Saturday's Premier League clash.
The Black Cats entered the match against their fellow strugglers on the back of five straight defeats, but the hosts managed to secure all the points against the division's basement side.
Allardyce has said that it was "a great relief" to finally put three points on the board once again.
"It's a great relief. It's such a long time since we felt the joy of winning. Until the third goal went in we weren't comfortable. We probably won't be very comfortable until the end of the season. We got what we wanted. It was all about the result, not the performance," Allardyce told BBC Sport.
"Thank God for Jermain Defoe and his finishing qualities. He turned the game back in our favour. He could have had a hat-trick but for an offside. Hopefully it will give us confidence going forward. We're still very much in trouble but this win was critical.
"Goalscorers turn games. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez at Leicester are into double figures and the rest of the team barely score a goal. Watford's front two score all their goals. We need to pair off a couple like that to get double figures and keep tight at the back."
Sunderland remain 19th in the Premier League table, four points from safety with 18 games of the season remaining.
Matt Law
