Sunderland winger James McClean has admitted that boss Paolo Di Canio has restored the players' "confidence" at the club.
The Black Cats moved six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with a 1-0 win over Everton, their first victory over the Toffees since 2001.
McClean told the club's official website: "It was a battle today; we put in a great performance and got another three points on the board, which is huge for us.
"There's no doubt about it, there's a new found confidence in the team – the manager's instilled that into the players.
"He's come in and given everybody a lift and given us the confidence that we were lacking as a team."
Following their win over David Moyes's side, Sunderland are now 14th in the table.
