SUNDERLAND inflicted another sorry defeat on Aston Villa as Jermain Defoe handed the Black Cats a vital three points to boost their survival efforts.
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| Patrick van Aanholt opened the scoring for Sunderland after a lucky deflection off Micah Richards |
Defoe eventually found his way past Brad Guzan with just 18 minutes remaining to end a five-game losing streak for Sam Allardyce’s men.
A freak Micah Richards deflection off Patrick van Aanholt’s speculative shot from distance handed Sunderland the lead on the half-hour mark.
Defoe could have doubled the hosts’ advantage on 60 minutes but saw a squirm and shot saved by Brad Guzan.
And moments later Villa hit back through Carles Gil, who acrobatically volleyed Adama Traore’s centre across goal at the far post.
But Defoe rewarded manager Allardyce for handing him a starting role up front when he controlled at the edge of the box, beat defender Joleon Lescott and drilled home.
And former England forward Defoe added gloss to a dour spectacle at the Stadium of Light when he bagged his second in stoppage time.
Sunderland remain 19th but the victory pushes them to within four points of 17th-place Swansea, who lost to Manchester United this afternoon.
Villa, meanwhile, remain winless in the league since the opening day of the season and remain 11 points off safety.
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