Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill believes his side have received a much-needed confidence boost after their 2-1 win at home to Blackburn Rovers.
Seb Larsson's late free kick earned the Black Cats the three points in what was O'Neill's first game in charge of the club.
"I am not overly bothered about starting my era [with a win]," he told Sky Sports News. "But it is [important] for the players to get that confidence up.
"I thought we deserved to win the game, but you don't always get what you deserve.
"We had endless possession but you just want that breakthrough and now we have points on the board which is vital for confidence and the crowd."
The win has lifted the North East club up to 16th in the Premier League table.
