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Sunderland manager Gus Poyet hails impact of striker Jermain Defoe

Jermain Defoe, who scored in the 1-1 draw against Swansea, is a "special" striker who gives Sunderland "confidence", according to manager Gus Poyet.

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has labelled Jermaine Defoe as "special" after the England striker scored in today's 1-1 draw at Swansea City.

Defoe bagged a few minutes before half time at the Liberty Stadium as he lashed the ball into the back of the net after drifting past a couple of Swansea defenders.

The 32-year-old joined the Black Cats from Toronto in January and has already scored twice for his new club, which has prompted Poyet to heap praise on the veteran.

He told Sky Sports News: "He is special and there are not many. Proven Premier League goalscorers cost a lot and to find one that can come to us is quite difficult so he's very important for us. Now we know what he can do because he can score from nothing. He knows what he can do and gives us the confidence as a team that sooner or later he will put the ball in the back of the net.

"If we do our jobs, then if we find him on the pitch, then I'm sure he is going to score plenty and that will be a platform for the rest of the season."

Ki Sung-yueng scored the equaliser to restrict Sunderland to a draw which leaves them 14th in the Premier League table.

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Jermain Defoe of Sunderland celebrates scoring the opening goal with team mates during the Barclays Premier League match between Swansea City and Sunderland at Liberty Stadium on February 7, 2015
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1Sunderland149322391430
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd149321871128
3Leeds UnitedLeeds147522291326
4Burnley146621761124
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom14572148622
6Millwall146441712522
7Watford147162222022
8Middlesbrough146351816221
9Swansea CitySwansea14545119219
10Blackburn RoversBlackburn145451616019
11Bristol City144731819-119
12Norwich CityNorwich144642320318
13Derby CountyDerby145361818018
14Stoke CityStoke145361718-118
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds145361724-718
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd144551717017
17Coventry CityCoventry144371819-115
18Hull City143651518-315
19Luton TownLuton144371621-515
20Preston North EndPreston143651420-615
21Cardiff CityCardiff144371320-715
22Plymouth ArgylePlymouth144371425-1115
23Queens Park RangersQPR141761223-1110
24Portsmouth141671327-149


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