John O'Shea praises Costel Pantilimon display

Sunderland captain John O'Shea has hailed the performance of keeper Costel Pantilimon in his side's Tyne-Wear derby win over Newcastle United.

Pantilimon made two excellent saves in the second half to deny Ayoze Perez and Moussa Sissoko, before Adam Johnson struck in the 90th minute to hand Gus Poyet's men a 1-0 victory at St James' Park.

O'Shea told the club's official website: "At crucial times, when they were getting on top in second half he made fantastic saves. That's not just the ones in the top corners, but low down too.

"He is a big man and played at the top level so we know what he is capable of doing. The chances that we did miss maybe gave Newcastle a little bit of encouragement but Costel made some fantastic saves."

Sunderland are 14th in the Premier League with 19 points from their 17 matches this season.